Team JEST
by SolarTBA
Summary: Born to lead. Raised to be different. Taught to be unique. Trained to be the best. These are the characteristics that define the members of Team JEST, and although they may not know it, they are destined for greatness. They will stick together through Hell and back, and when they separate is the day they disgrace their family's name. I expect nothing but the best from these four.
1. Chapter 1: 4 Priceless Gems

**Team JEST**

 **Chapter 1: 4 Priceless Gems**

 **S/N: Hey, guys! SolarEnergy07 here with a RWBY story, collabed with Arctic01. I hope you guys enjoy Team JEST, and please read and review! Also, if you haven't already, check out Arctic01's story, The Tri-Blade Alliance. It's going good so far, so take a look.**

 **Also, the lack of action in this chapter will be made up for in the next chapters with extra duels and semblance reveals.**

 **Key: S/N = Solar's Notes**

 **A/N= Arctic's Notes**

 **(x)**

"Beacon Academy," the red-haired teenager said as he got off the airship.

"I know, right? Way bigger than I thought it'd be," the green-haired hooded teenager said as he followed his brother off of the airship.

"That's what she said," the yellow-haired female said as she got off.

"This coming from an actual 'she'", the blue-haired male said as he got off.

"Guys," Red said as he stepped in front of the others, "let's try to make friends while we're here, shall we?"

"I've already got you guys, and that's honestly enough for me," Green calmly said.

"C'mon Eric, don't be so antisocial," Yellow pleaded.

"I dunno. I might have to go with Eric on this one, Sam," Blue said last.

"Alright," Red said, "I'll go first." He scanned the crowd and saw a lone girl in red. "HEY, YOU!" The red girl looked in their direction after jumping a bit. "WANNA BE FRIENDS?!"

In the blink of an eye, she ran over to them. "SURE! WHAT'S YOUR NAME?!" she yelled back in front of the quartet.

"Stop yelling," Eric said.

"Fine. I'm Johnny. And you are…?"

"I'm Ruby. Ruby Rose."

"Well, Miss Rose," Blue said as he walked to her side, "prepare to regret your decision."

"Thomas, don't be so mean to her," Sam pleaded.

"No promises."

"Didn't you come here with someone?" Eric asked.

"Yeah. My sister. Before she left me and I exploded," Ruby grumbled.

"That was you?!" Johnny looked like he was going to break out into laughter.

"Hey! That's not funny!"

"It's kinda funny," Thomas said.

"Wait a minute," Sam said. She pointed back to where Ruby came from. "Isn't that the kid who puked on the airship? HEY, SCRAWNY!"

Said kid jumped in fright, then walked over as Skye motioned for him to come over.

"And _I'm_ being mean?!" Thomas incredulously asked Sam. Sam shrugged in response.

"Y-Yeah?" Poor kid was frightened.

"My name is Sam. And you are?"

"Jaune Arc," the kid, Jaune, said as he shook Sam's outstretched hand.

"Okay, now me and Johnny have friends."

"I'll see you guys inside," Johnny said as he walked towards Beacon.

"We'll catch up later, guys," Thomas promised as he ran after Johnny.

"You two get along now, you hear?" Sam jokingly said as she and Eric left Ruby and Jaune.

 **(x)**

 **Later…**

"There you guys are!" Thomas called over the crowd as he saw his siblings.

"Yeah, yeah, we'll be right there," Eric said as he made his way through the crowd. Once he was joined by Johnny and Sam, he took note of the new girl next to Thomas. "New friend?"

"Yep. Guys, say hello to Yang," Thomas said, motioning to the blond girl next to Thomas, who waved to the others.

"Hi, Yang. I'm Johnny. This is Sam and that is Eric." The two waved when they were called. Yang got a good look at her new friends. Johnny was wearing a red overcoat over a red t-shirt and black skinny jeans, with black combat boots. On his back were two swords. Sam was wearing a yellow shirt with a grey skirt, and white combat boots. She had no visible weapon on her, other than a dagger on her waist. Then she looked over Eric, who was wearing a green hoodie and had green shorts, with two knives strapped to his sides, one on either side. Looking back to Thomas, who had a simple blue shirt and grey jeans, and had two swords on his back like Johnny.

"You guys are a colorful bunch."

"Thank you," Sam said.

"I have to go. I'll catch you after the ceremony!" the quintet heard a familiar voice call.

"Hey, wait! Ah, great," another voice said.

The siblings looked back to see Ruby standing behind Yang. Yang said, "How was your first day, little sister?"

"Hey, you guys are sisters?" Eric said.

"I don't see the resemblance," Sam said.

Ignoring them, Ruby said, "You mean since you ditched me, and I exploded?"

"Yikes. Meltdown already?"

"No, she _actually_ exploded," Thomas said.

"Right," Yang said sarcastically.

"I tripped over some crabby girl's luggage, then she yelled at me! And then I sneezed, and then I exploded! And then she yelled again! And I felt really, really bad! And I just wanted her to stop yelling at me!" Impressively, all this was said in one breath.

"YOU!"

"Oh god, it's happening again!" Ruby screamed as she jumped and clung onto Yang as a girl dressed in white approached the bunch.

"You're lucky we weren't blown off the side of the cliff!"

"Oh my god, you really exploded," Yang said.

"It was an accident! It was an accident!"

"Yeah, lay off, ice queen! She said she was sorry!" Thomas stood up for Ruby.

"I'm not talking to you!" The girl snapped back. "And talk when you're addressed!"

"Hey!" Johnny stepped in between the two. "Calm down, both of you!" He gestured towards the stage. "The headmaster's about to talk."

The headmaster cleared his throat to, successfully, get everyone's attention. "I'll keep this brief.

"You have traveled here today in search of knowledge. To hone your craft and acquire new skills. And when you are finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. But I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy. In need of purpose… direction. You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step." When the headmaster finished, the huntress who was up there with him stepped up and spoke.

"You will gather in the ballroom tonight. Tomorrow your initiation begins. Be ready. You are dismissed."

"He seemed kinda…off," Yang said. "Almost like he wasn't even there."

"...I dunno about you guys," Johnny turned and began to walk away, "I'm going to the ballroom before all the _good_ spots are taken."

"See you guys later," Sam said as the family walked away.

 **(x)**

"It's like a big slumber party!" Yang said as she (literally) jumped into the bed next to Ruby, who was writing something.

"Could you _not_ right now?" Eric groaned as he turned over. "Some of us are trying to sleep." Eric and his siblings managed to get good spots before the other students due to their earliness.

"I don't think dad would approve of all the boys though," Ruby said, ignoring Eric.

"What's wrong with me?" Thomas and Johnny asked at the same time from nearby beds.

"Nothing guys, don't worry," Yang replied to the two. Deciding to take the compliment, they tried to go back to sleep. "I know _I_ do," Yang said to Ruby. After tearing her eyes off of all the boys, she looked to what Ruby was writing. "What's that?"

"A letter to the gang back at Signal. I promised to tell them all about Beacon and how things are going."

"Adorable," Sam squealed from the next bed. "It's nice how you still keep in touch with your friends."

"I didn't get to bring them with me to Beacon, you know. It's weird not knowing anybody here."

"How about Thomas and his siblings ? Or Jaune? They're…nice. That's 5 friends on the first day!"

"I know, but it's not the same."

"One more friend won't hurt!"

"Yang, what're you-AH!" Ruby screamed as Yang ripped her off of her bed to introduce her to a girl reading in the corner.

"They're a lively duo," Johnny said to Thomas.

"Yup. Now get some sleep. We have to be ready for the initiation tomorrow," the blue-haired teen responded as he turned to the other side.

 **(x)**

"Jesus. I wouldn't want to be that guy," Johnny said as he and his siblings walked to their lockers. This was in response to him seeing that poor guy being bothered by an annoying girl.

"Right?" Thomas said as they approached their lockers.

"I wonder what those two are so worked up about," Ruby said as she got her weapon from her locker.

"Ah, my beauties," Johnny said as he retrieved his twin swords from his locker. "How I missed you." He strapped them on his back and got ready to leave.

"You call your swords your beauties?" Yang said incredulously.

"Yep," Thomas said as he pulled his swords out and sheathed them, leaving afterwards.

"What about you, Sam?" Ruby asked.

"That's a secret," Sam said as she left with her brothers.

"Don't bother," Eric said as he strapped his knives to his sides and left while everyone was discussing teams.

 **(x)**

Everyone was on Beacon Cliff, where Professor Ozpin was giving a speech.

"For years, you have trained to become warrior. And today, your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest."

Goodwitch spoke after him. "Now, I'm sure many of you have heard rumors about the assignment of teams. Well, allow us to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be given teammates. Today."

"What?" Ruby asked incredulously. "Oh…"

"These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon. So it is in your best interest to be paired with someone whom you can work well."

Ruby groaned.

"That being said, the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years."

Ruby felt her entire world shatter. "WHAT?!" she said rather adorably.

"See?" the orange-haired girl said to her friend.

"Once you are partnered up, make your way to the northern end of the forest. You will meet opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path or you will die." Jaune laughed nervously and gulped.

"You will be monitored and graded for the duration of your initiation. But our instructors will not intervene.

"You will find an abandoned temple at the end of the path, containing several relics. Each pair must choose one and return to the top of the cliff. We will regard that item, as well as your standing, and grade you appropriately.

"Are there any questions?"

"Yeah, um, sir-" Jaune started.

"Good. Now, take your positions."

"Guys," Thomas said to his siblings, "let's make sure we're paired together."

"Copy that," Johnny said while smirking.

"Of course," Eric said.

"Get ready, boys!" Sam said.

Sam was launched first, and as she soared through the air, she flew towards the trees. Once she was in the leaves, she grabbed a tree branch and swung on it, gracefully flipping off and landing on her feet. "BIRDIE, NO!" Sam looked up to see Ruby go by and hit a bird in the process. She sighed and went towards her left, as she heard something.

Thomas was next, making sure he was in the trees before he softened his landing. Strangely, he was launched farther _and_ higher than everyone else. Ozpin pushed his glasses back as he thought, _Interesting._ He made sure to slow his fall down before he hit the floor. "Gotta love the semblance," he whispered to himself. He heard a sound to his right and turned to see his sister walk through the bushes.

They both looked at each other. Then they broke into a grin and gave the other a thumbs up. "PARTNERS!"

Eric landed farther than the others, landing on his feet after landing on a tree branch. He dusted himself off, made sure his hood was still on, then progressed onward.

Johnny was the last of the four to be launched, making sure to follow his landing strategy. As he entered the leaves, he took out a small black dagger from his belt and threw it towards the ground. He felt himself vanish, then reappear right behind the knife. He grabbed it, and rolled onto the forest floor, breaking into a run once he got back up. He sheathed it as he ran. _Gotta find them,_ he thought to himself as he ran. He stopped when he saw a tree block his way, making a sharp right. As he ran, ( _How the hell is my stamina so high?_ ) he saw the temple where the chess pieces were. He ran forward and grabbed a black knight piece. Out of his peripheral vision, he saw a familiar gloved hand go for the piece he was going for. Johnny turned to face the would-be thief, but was relieved to see his hooded brother. "Hey, Eric. Partners?"

"Obviously."

"Cool! We'll join you!" The two new partners turned to see Thomas tossing a black knight piece in his hand with Sam by his side.

" _Now_ it's a party!" Eric said happily.

"C'mon guys, let's go. Ozpin's probably waiting for us. Or whatever team," Johnny said as he led the group the way he came from.

The newly-formed team heard a loud roar from behind them. "MOVE!" Thomas yelled as the team did so. Johnny and Thomas rolled to one side of the path, while Sam and Eric rolled to the other side. An Ursa of an ungodly size barreled past them. Stopping in its tracks and turning itself around to face the family of future Huntsman, the Ursa roared, shaking the trees as it did so.

"Got a plan, anyone?" Sam asked as she prepared herself.

"Yeah, I've got one," Johnny said as he drawed his swords. Sam's focus went on those weapons, as she was starting to forget their appearance (it was about a year since they all drew their weapons). His swords were about 3 feet tall, with the pommel having the shape of spikes going downward on either side. In the center of the pommel were two rhombus-shaped gemstones, and there was a line in the blade that went down the blade and stopping about a quarter of the way. "Sam, mark the weak points." Sam nodded and drew her own dagger. She held it in front of her as three more daggers formed. She threw them one by one, making sure to throw her dagger last. As the daggers hit the Ursa, Thomas drew his own double-edged swords (with spikes at the ends of his pommels going up on one side and down on the other, and a gemstone on the bottom of the hilt of each sword), Eric drew his knives (which had gemstones on the hilt of each knife), and focused so they became a green color, indicating that it had Earth Dust.

"Ready…" the knives reached the Ursa, "NOW!" They all threw their knives at the Ursa, disappearing as the knives flew. They reappeared right in front of the Ursa, and assaulted it. Thomas stabbed the Ursa's back, Johnny sliced the Ursa's face, and Eric threw his knives to trap the Ursa into the floor. As it was struggling to break free, Sam threw a Lightning Dust crystal, and all of them dodged backwards as the Dust exploded. The Ursa was getting shocked continuously, and eventually fell over due to the combined assault.

"Is it dead?" Sam asked.

"Let's make sure," Thomas said. He twisted his swords in his hands in a clockwise rotation, and now held guns in his hands. He looked over to Johnny, who flicked his swords downwards and brought his hands up, holding guns. Then he looked over to Eric, who put his knives away and drew guns from the small of his back. Looking over to Sam, who had seemingly drew guns out of nowhere, he nodded. They all went forward to the beast and shot it in the head until their clips ran dry. After reloading, Johnny and Thomas reverted their weapons back to their original forms and sheathed them. "C'mon. We have to get to Ozpin." His siblings nodded as they ran after Thomas.

When they reached a field with ruins, Eric stopped Thomas. Thomas looked over to Eric confused, until Eric pointed at the cliff. Thomas turned to where Eric was pointing, and smiled when he saw Ruby run up the cliff and decapitate a Nevermore. "Not bad," Johnny said from the side.

"Yeah," Thomas said as he stared in admiration. "Let's go." He began to run again. His siblings followed suit.

 **(x)**

"Russel Thrush, Cardin Winchester, Dove Bronzewing, Sky Lark," Ozpin said to the bunch that stood on the stage with him. "The four of you retrieved the Black Bishop pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team CRDL. Led by Cardin Winchester." The newly formed team looked forward to their new leader, who nodded. The audience clapped and cheered for the new team. After Team CRDL stepped off of the stage, Jaune and his partners stepped up. "Jaune Arc, Lie Ren, Pyrrha Nikos, Nora Valkyrie. The four of you retrieved the White Rook pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team JNPR-" Nora giggled happily as she hugged Ren, "-led by… Jaune Arc!"

"Huh?" Jaune asked after hearing that, too shocked to notice the smile that Pyrrha was giving him. "Led by?"

"Congratulations, young man." In her glee, Pyrrha gave Jaune a light punch to the shoulder which knocked him down. As the next team stepped up, Ozpin pushed his glasses up and smiled. _A family, huh?_ "Thomas, Johnny, Samantha, and Eric Rogers." The quartet groaned silently as murmurs broke out amongst the audience and the teams formed.

From the side of the stage, the yet-to-be-christened team could hear Weiss, Yang, and a black-haired girl with a bow tie yell, "WHAT!?"

"The four of you retrieved the Black Knight pieces, and in record time, no less. From this day forward, you will work together as Team JEST, led by...Johnny Rogers!"

"YES!" Johnny shouted as he fist pumped.

"Congrats, bro!" Thomas said as he clapped Johnny on the back.

"I just _knew_ it'd be you, Johnny," Eric said with a smirk as he gave Johnny a light punch to the shoulder.

"Hooray! Johnny's the leader!" Sam sang as she jumped on her brother's back.

Johnny was laughing all the while. After Sam jumped off, the team walked off.

"Blake Belladonna, Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, and Yang Xiao Long! The four of you have retrieved the White Knight pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team RWBY. Led by…Ruby Rose!" Weiss was shocked and Ruby was happy. Weiss looked disappointed, as she wanted to be the leader of the team.

 **(x)**

"You jerks!" Yang said as the two teams were standing outside the school, and as she scolded Team JEST. "Why didn't you tell us that you were Rogers?!"

"Yeah!" Weiss spoke up, putting her hands on her hips. "I would've shown respect to you if you did!"

"Calm down, you guys!" Sam attempted to soothe the anger of the two females. "We just didn't want people to think that we had an advantage when we got into Beacon!"

"Um, guys," Ruby spoke up. Everyone looked towards Ruby. "Who're the Rogers?"

"The Rogers, dear sister," Yang said as she put an arm around Ruby's shoulder, "are a family of _very_ famous Huntsmen."

"They also work in tandem with the Schnee Dust Company and have helped to spread the company," Weiss informed.

"Not to mention that they're large supporters of Faunus, and they look to take down the White Fang non lethally," Blake (Bow Tie girl) said. "Rumors are that they even have a Faunus child."

"Those rumors are true," Eric calmly said.

"How do you know?" Blake challenged.

Calmly but hesitantly, Eric's hands reached up to his hood. He grabbed it and lowered it. Much to Team RWBY's surprise, Eric had green hair and what appeared to be cat ears, with green fur on those ears. "Because I'm that Faunus child. Happy now?"

"You should keep your hood down. It looks better that way."

"Wow," Ruby said, her eyes sparkling.

Thomas blinked and jumped slightly when he saw Ruby appear right next to him. "What's it like? Living like that?"

"Most of our life was busy, but modest," Thomas replied. "We'll tell you more about our life tomorrow. Let's try to get some sleep. We have classes tomorrow." As Team JEST turned to go into the school, they waved behind themselves to Team RWBY. "Catch ya later."

 **(x)**

 **S/N: Once again, terribly sorry for the boredom this chapter may have caused. I'll make up for it with future chapters. Also, the basic structure of this story is going to follow the canon, with some slight alterations (obviously).**

 **Read. Review. Let me know where I went wrong. Thanks a lot.**

 **Till next time.**


	2. Chapter 2: The First Duels

**Team JEST**

 **Chapter 2: The First Duels**

 **S/N: I'm back everyone, with another chapter of Team JEST! As promised, Team JEST's semblances will be revealed in this chapter, and at the end I will explain their color choices. I hope you have a good time reading this chapter as well!**

 **A/N: We only own our OC's. That's the disclaimer, by the way.**

 **(x)**

 **Last Night…**

"Okay," Johnny said as they arranged the beds. He pointed to the bed in the top left corner from the door. "That's my bed." He pointed to the bed on the top right corner. "That's Eric's bed." He pointed to the one in the bottom right corner. "That's Sam's." And he pointed to the bed in the lower left corner. "And that's Thomas's. Any problems?" The team shook their heads. "Great! Now we should get some sleep. We have a big day tomorrow!"

 **Today…**

Sam sat up in her bed as she yawned and stretched. She took a look at the time. _6:00, huh?_ Sam thought to herself. She got up and walked to the bathroom. After she did her business, she brushed her teeth and took a quick 5-minute shower, **(S/N: Not sure if they have showers at Beacon, but I'm still going to add them)** , after which she changed into her uniform. She was now awake and alert, and she waited for her brothers to get up.

Johnny was the next to wake up, stretching as he did so. He looked towards Sam, who was ready and waiting for her brothers, and went to the bathroom. After he brushed his teeth, he stepped into the shower for his 5-minute shower. After he got out, he motioned for Sam to turn around, which, after a roll of her eyes, she did. Johnny changed into his uniform, putting on his red overcoat and strapping his swords on his back, because you could never be too sure.

Thomas was the third to wake up, and followed the same routine his siblings did. Before he changed, he pointed to the door, which Johnny and Sam left through. He changed into his uniform and brought his swords out. He was about to sheathe them when a thought occurred. _Nah, I don't want them to be visible._ He reverted his swords to their gun forms, then holstered them at his side. He patiently waited for Eric to get up.

Finally, being the cat he was, Eric took his time getting up. When he did, he trudged towards the bathroom, and did _his_ usual routine. After he got out, making sure to rub his ears completely so they were dry, he calmly changed into his uniform and strapped his knives to his put on a green zip-up hoodie, about to pull up the hood until he remembered Blake's words. He left it down and adjusted it slightly. He looked over at Thomas, who got up from his leaning position on the wall, and opened the door for the other two to come back in the room.

"Alright, guys, remember what Dad said," Johnny started.

"It's important to have a hairstyle…" Thomas continued.

"...but it's even more important to make sure that hairstyle looks good on you," Sam finished one of their dad's rules.

"So me and Sam are fine," Eric said as he looked to Sam's hair, which was long and went down to her back (not like Yang's; Sam's hair was not messy).

"Yep," Sam said as she looked at Eric's natural messed-up hairstyle, most likely from the towel.

"Alright," Thomas said as he sat down and ran a comb through his hair. Through his peripheral vision, he could see Johnny following his example. After he was finished, he and Johnny looked at the other's hairstyle and nodded in approval. Thomas' hairstyle consisted of messy hair, with the front part of his hair combed over on the right side with it still sticking up a bit and going down on his left side and fell just above his left eye (like a man's flick hairstyle), while Johnny's was swept to the right; a loose lock of hair dangled over his right eyebrow naturally.

"Now we're ready to go," Johnny said. He walked through the door with his team following him. Now that their morning routine was set, they could focus on their day now.

 **(x)**

"You guys are up early," Yang remarked as she stifled a yawn and walked into the cafeteria with her team. Team RWBY sat down on the opposite side of the table of Team JEST.

"It's what we did all the time back home, ya know," Johnny said while smirking.

"Didn't you guys promise to tell us more about your lives?" Weiss asked.

"Oh yeah, we did," Thomas sighed as he ran a hand through his hair, letting it fall back to hairstyle it normally is. "We have two cats, not including Eric-" Eric growled lightly, "-and we have always trained to be Huntsmen. Johnny _loves_ to fight, and will readily accept any challenge. I will fight, but I will end it quickly. Sam and Eric are in between. Our mom and dad were _the best_ parents you could ever ask for. They were never hard on us, and they even personally trained us. When you see _us_ fight, just think about how much stronger our parents are." This information made Team RWBY's eyes widen.

"Mr. Rogers," the two teams heard a voice a call. Johnny turned to see Professor Goodwitch walk to him. "Your parents are calling."

Johnny broke into a grin. "Is it for all of us?"

"No. Just you."

His smile faltered. "I see." He looked to his disheartened siblings/teammates. "I'll give Mom and Dad your regards, guys."

"Thanks man." Thomas said. Johnny got up to follow Professor Goodwitch. She led him to the communications room, where she motioned for Johnny to go inside.

"Be sure to be out before classes start."

"Thanks, Professor." With that, Johnny stepped inside. He looked at the currently active scroll in the room, and sat down on it.

"Hi, Johnny!" His mom called.

Johnny laughed. "Hi, Mom. Where's Dad?"

"Right here, son!" His dad's face popped into view. "How's your first day at Beacon so far?"

"It's going good, Dad! Tommy, Sam, Eric, and I are all on the same team, and we made a whole bunch of friends! One of them's a Schnee!"

"Is is Weiss?"

"Yep. She was a bit...cold at first, but she warmed up after she learned who we were."

"Okay, son." Mr. Rogers and Johnny simultaneously ran a hand through their hair, with Johnny having picked up that habit from his dad. "How are those Waypoints for you four?"

"They were a bit difficult to get used to at first, but once we linked them to our Aura," Johnny said while he pulled out his black knife, "they actually started working for us!"

"It's amazing how you automatically go to where they're thrown, isn't it?" Mrs. Rogers asked.

"Heh. Sure is." Johnny looked at the time. "Crap, it's almost time. Mom, Dad, classes are about to start."

"No worries, Johnny. We're just about done."

"We were calling for two reasons," Mr. Rogers said. "We were calling to congratulate you for becoming a leader. By the way, your team's name is…?"

"It's Team JEST, Dad."

"Funny. We were also calling to tell you that we sent a package for you. It'll arrive by the end of the day, and don't worry, we ran it through your headmaster."

"I'll keep an eye out, Dad. Bye guys! We love you!"

"We love you too, Johnny! Tell that to your siblings!" This was the last thing that Mrs. Rogers had to say before the call ended.

"Professor Goodwitch!" Johnny called. "I'm done!"

Goodwitch stepped into the room. "Proceed to your first class, Mr. Rogers."

"Thank you, Professor!" With that, Johnny ran out of the door.

"And no running in the hallways!"

"Sorry!"

 **(x)**

"Hey, guys," Johnny said as he sat down with his team, who sat behind Team RWBY. "What'd I miss?"

"Just Weiss killing a Boarbatusk. Nothing _too_ big," Thomas replied.

"So anyway, what did Mom and Dad want?" Eric asked as Professor Port went on.

"They wanted to congratulate me for becoming team leader, and they said that they were sending a package for us. It should arrive by the end of today."

"I wonder what's in it?" Sam pondered.

"Mr. Rogers!" The team looked to Professor Port. "Professor Goodwitch told me why you were late! That does not give you the excuse to talk in class!"

"My apologies, Professor Port. It won't happen again," Johnny said.

"At least you have manners," the professor said with a huff. "Now, could you explain what it means to be a Huntsman?"

"To be a Huntsman," Johnny said, "is to make sure that the citizens of Remnant stay safe, and to dispatch any and all creatures of Grimm that seek to destroy the peace that we have worked so long and hard to maintain."

"I see your parents have taught you well!"

"They did nothing but the best for us, Professor."

"Excellent point!" After that, the professor kept going on about...something.

To avoid further disruption, Johnny motioned to his siblings that he would tell them everything later. Soon, the class ended, and everyone went to their next classes.

 **(x)**

 **Time skip to the end of the day…**

"Good god, what is in this thing?!" Johnny groaned as he carried the package into his team's room. By his side were Thomas and Yang, just in case. Now that it was the end of the day, everyone had changed out of their uniforms and into what they normally wore.

"It can't be _that_ heavy, Johnny! Come on!" Thomas said with a roll of his eyes.

"You try, then!"

"Maybe I will!" After Johnny let go, Thomas walked over to the box and lifted it, only to nearly drop it due to the weight. "What is in this thing?!"

"See?!"

"Calm down, you babies," Yang teasingly said. "I'm sure you're over-exaggerating." Both brothers stepped back and motioned for Yang to try. As she did so, she nearly dropped the box. "You weren't kidding! This thing is _heavy!"_

Thomas mouthed to Johnny, "Even _Yang_!"

Johnny mouthed back, " _I know!_ "

Eventually, the trio brought the box back to Team JEST's room, having to work together to do so. They set it down, with heavy grunts, in the middle of the room.

"That the package?" Eric asked as he sat down on his bed.

"Yeah," Johnny said, breathing heavily.

"Was it _that_ heavy?" Sam asked, swinging her legs while sitting on her bed.

"Yep," Thomas and Yang simultaneously said, wiping sweat from their eyebrows.

Ruby squealed in excitement as she, Weiss and Blake walked into the room. "I can't _wait_ to see what's in there! Open it already!"

In response, Eric took out his Waypoint, a serrated dagger that was black like his brother's, and cut open the packaging tape. "Alright," he said, bending down to pull open the flaps of the box while Sam watched from beside him. "Time to open the box."

"Let's see what they sent," Johnny said as he kneeled over the package. He pulled out a card first, and read it out loud.

" _Congratulations to our future Huntsmen, Team JEST!_

 _With love,_

 _Mom and Dad"_

Afterwards, he pulled out a gift-wrapped package and held it out in front of him. Everyone could see it, and saw a tag labeled "J" on top of the red and black gift wrapping. He pulled out his Waypoint and slice the wrap, opening it fully with his bare hands. No one could see what he was holding. They could only hear him whisper, " _Damn_." He proceeded to throw it around him, and when he turned around, everyone gasped in surprise.

Johnny, over his red t-shirt, now had an all-red trench coat, that had gemstones studded on the sides.

"Wow," everyone whispered.

"I know, right? I think these gemstones are jaspers." He chuckled. "How do I look?" He held his arms out at his sides.

"Not bad," Yang nodded in approval. Thomas nudged Yang, who said, "Hey!"

"Eric, you're up."

"So we're going in team order, then?" Eric remarked as he took out a green gift-wrapped package with an "E" tag on it. There was also a card attached. The card read,

" _Don't be ashamed of who you are, Eric. We'll always love you._

 _Take care,_

 _Mom and Dad"_

Eric smiled and opened his gift. He threw it on after taking off his green zip-up hoodie, and turned around once it was on. He had a trench coat, like Johnny's, only it was all green and had emerald gemstone studded on it. "Where's my hood?"

"Didn't you read the card?" Sam said as she stepped up to the box. "'Don't be ashamed of who you are, Eric.'"

"Besides," Blake said, "I think it looks good."

"Thanks, Blake," Eric smiled.

"My turn!" Sam took out a yellow-and-white wrapped gift that had an "S" tag on it. Like the others, she read the card that came attached.

" _Don't forget your training, Samantha!_

 _We love you,_

 _Mom and Dad"_

"Why do they tell _me_ that?!" Sam complained as she opened her gift, drawing chuckles and giggles from everyone. She threw on her own all yellow trench coat, that had yellow gemstones studded on it. Sam gasped when she saw the gemstones. "Are these yellow sapphires?!"

"Not bad," Thomas remarked. "Now, it's my turn." He grabbed the last gift, wrapped in blue-and-white gift wrap with a "T" tag on it. He read the attached card.

" _This midnight blue shirt will look better on you than that white shirt you have on right now._

 _Lots of love,_

 _Mom and Dad"_

Thomas' eyes widened as he looked at his shirt, which was, indeed, white. "That's scary." Everyone else agreed. Thomas pulled out a shirt, and motioned for the girls to turn around.

"We don't mind," Yang said teasingly.

Johnny and Eric sighed and removed their trench coats. They stepped behind Thomas and covered him. "Thanks, guys," Thomas replied. Both males nodded. Thomas, behind cover, changed shirts, then pulled on his teal blue trench coat with its own gemstones studded. "Yes! Blue topazes! These are _incredibly_ rare!"

"That means they care," Johnny said as he and Eric pulled their trench coats back on.

"You look amazing, Thomas!" Ruby said in admiration.

"Please stop. You're inflating his ego," Sam pleaded.

"Thanks, Ruby," Thomas said to the leader.

Johnny took off his trench coat and hung it up on the (convenient) coat rack. He looked at the time. "Oh crap, it's nearly 10:00. Okay, Team RWBY, back to your room."

"Why?" Yang asked as she was being pushed out of the door by Johnny.

"Because," Johnny said as he got Yang out of the door and as the other team members followed, "we're tired. We've been up since 6. G'night, Yang."

"'Night, Johnny!" With that, Yang went back to her team's room down the hall.

"You seem awfully chummy with Yang," Eric noted as the three males changed into their pajamas. Sam was changing in the bathroom. "Is something going on?"

"What're you, crazy?" Johnny said. "We're just friends."

 **Meanwhile…**

"You were awfully friendly with Johnny back there, big sis," Ruby remarked as she jumped into her bed.

"Like how you were friendly with Thomas?" Yang retorted.

Ruby huffed and looked away. "We're just friends!"

"Going off of that, Johnny and I are just friends. Don't read too much into it."

 **(x)**

 **Time skip to a couple of weeks into the semester…**

"You didn't have to do that," the grateful Faunus said to Thomas.

"Yeah, I did," Thomas said. "It's not right to be bullied because you're different. Ask Eric that."

"In any case, thank you! I'm Velvet, by the way." The rabbit Faunus extended her hand nervously to the blue-haired teenager.

"Thomas Rogers." He shook her hand. "And there's no need to look so nervous. I'm not gonna bite."

"Sorry."

"Don't be. If Cardin or his goons bother you again, let me _or_ my team know."

"Okay! Thanks, Thomas!"

"No problem, Velvet." Thomas walked back to his team, who were waiting for Goodwitch's class to start.

"Look at you, big guy," Johnny said, nudging Thomas with his arm.

"It's nice what you did for her," Eric said while nodding.

"That's why I'm proud to have you as a brother," Sam said proudly.

"I'm not going to stand by and let others be bullied. Not while I can do something about it," Thomas explained.

"Children," a voice called from the front of the room. Everyone looked towards Professor Goodwitch as she spoke. "We will begin the sparring. Our first match will be…Johnny Rogers vs. Yang Xiao Long."

Said fighters walked up to the stage, having changed into their Huntsmen outfit. As they walked towards each other on the stage, they both shook hands as a sign of respect. "I hope we have a good match, Yang."

"Don't get salty if I win, Johnny."

Johnny smirked and walked back to his starting spot, watching as Yang did the same.

"Begin!" The second Goodwitch started the countdown, Johnny began counting in his head.

 **(S/N: The match starts here.)**

 _One, two, three…_

Yang made the first move, rushing towards Johnny, who, not losing count, threw his Waypoint and teleported away from Yang.

 _Thirteen, fourteen, fifteen…_

This went on for about 30 seconds more, infuriating Yang, and confusing everyone else, other than the members of Team JEST and Professor Goodwitch, the latter of which was watching closely. "Why isn't he fighting back?" Weiss whispered to Thomas. Thomas merely pointed at the giant scroll with Johnny's face on it. Weiss looked at it and saw another bar that was underneath Johnny's Aura gauge. It was counting down.

 _Fifty-three, fifty-four, fifty-five..._

"STOP DODGING!" Yang yelled as she activated her Fire semblance.

Just as she did, Johnny looked down to his scroll and broke into a grin. His meter had maxed out. "Alright! Now I'm _really_ fired up!"

"EXCUSE ME?!"

 **(S/N: Because they have books and comic books in RWBY, I'm going to assume that they have mangas as well.)**

Johnny smirked. Then, he raised his arms to his sides and clenched his fists as he yelled, "KAIO-KEN!" A bright red aura surrounded Johnny as everyone watched in awe. He smirked towards Yang. "Whaddya think of my semblance? It gets more powerful the more time flies by during a fight. I need to wait a literal minute to activate it though."

"Why did you use it?"

"Because I didn't want to fight you at anything less than my best. Now," he drew his swords and assumed a battle pose, "let's dance, Shotgun!"

 **(S/N: The** _ **real**_ **match starts here.)**

Growling at the nickname, Yang rushed forward with a blast from her gauntlets (explosive rounds) while Johnny threw his Waypoint. The two met each other halfway, Yang with an explosive punch and Johnny with a sword swing. The two traded blows at rapid-fire speeds, causing the spectators to gape, even Johnny's siblings.

"Wow! He's never gone this far against any of us!" Thomas said in awe.

"Are you jealous, Tommy?" Eric asked, not tearing his eyes away from the action in front of him.

"I know _I_ am," Sam said.

During their minor chat, Johnny and Yang had locked in a clash, neither giving the other ground. Both grit their teeth as they tried to get some ground. Suddenly, during the clash, Johnny smirked. "Yang? Are you holding back?"

Yang returned the smirk. "I might be."

The two broke from the clash and back flipped away from each other. Johnny pointed his sword towards Yang as he said, "If I go all out _for real_ , will you?" In response, Yang shouted as her power increased further. Johnny smiled as he increased his power. "Now I'm having fun!" The two met in a high powered clash once more, trading blows and matching each other blow for blow. However, despite his earlier warning, Yang made the mistake of locking in a clash with Johnny, giving him more time to power up. He pushed back and broke the clash, stunning the brawler. He mustered all of his strength into a kick, launching Yang far. Acting fast, Johnny switched his swords into their gun forms, and skillfully shot three bullets. The first two bounced Yang up one after another, then the third pushed her back further. Johnny took out his Waypoint and threw it. As he disappeared, everyone in the audience made note of how the knife was traveling faster than Yang. Once the knife was over where Yang was going to land, Johnny reappeared and performed a stationary flip to get high in the air. When he landed, he made sure that it was with Yang under his feet. The crash landing effectively ended the duel for Yang.

"...And the winner is…Johnny Rogers!"

 **(S/N: The match is over now.)**

The class broke out of its stupor and cheered for the victor of the explosive duel. Johnny took a bow, but he grimaced when he saw the crater that Yang was lying unconscious (hopefully) in. He walked over to Yang and kneeled over her. He took a look at his scroll and saw that he had Aura to spare. He performed a little trick his mother taught him: he held his hands out in front of him and concentrated. He felt some of his Aura drain from his body as it formed in his outstretched hands. He gave it a push towards Yang, who then became enveloped in a green light as her Aura went up. As it went up, however, Johnny's went down until both had an equal amount. Yang woke up and groggily sat up. She took the hand offered to her as Johnny pulled her up to her feet. Johnny broke into a grin once Yang steadied herself. "That was a hell of a match, Shotgun!"

"You weren't too bad yourself…"

"You don't have a nickname for me, do you?"

"Give me time." With that, both fighters shook hands and went back to their seats.

"Our next duel," Goodwitch said, "will be between Thomas Rogers and Pyrrha Nikos." The duelists that were called up to fight walked up to the stage, having changed beforehand.

Everyone started muttering and placing bets on who would win between the two prodigies. Thomas and Pyrrha ignored this and shook hands, before assuming their battle poses. "Just so you know," Thomas started, catching Pyrrha's attention, "I'm not going to stall like Johnny did in his match."

"I should hope not," Pyrrha smirked.

 **(S/N: This shorter match starts here.)**

Thomas made the first move as he rushed Pyrrha. He threw a punch, making sure to aim for her face. As his fist flew towards her face, Pyrrha activated her semblance, moving Thomas' fist away from its intended target. As his fist flew past her, Thomas rolled past her, getting up and reassuming his pose. _So that's your semblance,_ he thought. _I know_ just _how to counter that._

He activated his semblance, making him lighter than he currently was, and launched at her at an ungodly speed. Pyrrha was not ready for this drastic speed increase and was forced to take the blow. It didn't do much to hurt her, but the speed behind the punch threw her back slightly. As she got recovered, Pyrrha ran towards Thomas and began throwing punches. Some of them landed, but the rest were skillfully blocked by Thomas. He backflipped away, then reactivated his semblance to make himself heavier than normal. He was slower than normal, but Pyrrha's semblance had no effect on Thomas in this state. He threw a punch that was blocked by Pyrrha, but he pushed down. The sheer power behind his punch pushed Pyrrha to her knees as she tried to block it. Eventually, she was overpowered, and she was punched to the floor. She rolled back and drew her lance and shield. _He's good,_ the Mistral Champion thought.

"In case you were wondering, Pyrrha," Thomas called as he drew his guns and and reverted them to his swords, "my semblance is gravity manipulation. I can alter my gravity or the gravity of other objects. Even other people." Pyrrha nodded in admiration. "You don't have to tell me what your semblance is, Pyrrha. I figured it out. That's why yours has no effect on mine."

Pyrrha grit her teeth as she got ready to fight. "I won't need my semblance."

"In that case, I won't use mine. Let's dance!" The two clashed and exchanged blows. Pyrrha swiped Thomas with her lance, Thomas sliced Pyrrha with his swords. Eventually, Thomas brought his swords to his side, preparing for a two sword power hit, prompting Pyrrha to raise her shield in defense. This was her mistake, as Thomas charged his swords with Ice Dust. As he slammed his swords on her shield, Pyrrha was knocked back due to the raw power behind the blow. As a result, she was caught off-guard when Thomas appeared behind her after using his Waypoint. He slammed Pyrrha into the ground, making her Aura enter the red.

"The winner of this duel is...Thomas Rogers!"

All the people who had bet on Thomas (which, including his team and Team RWBY, made up a solid half of the class) cheered. Pyrrha walked up to Thomas and outstretched her hand. "That was a good duel. Maybe we can go all out next time?"

"Why not?" Thomas shook her hand. "It'll be more real next time." Pyrrha smiled at this. The two duelists took their seats.

 **(S/N: Duel's over.)**

"Our third match will be Ruby Rose vs. Samantha Rogers." The two quirky girls got up and went to the stage, having changed already. The two shook hands.

"Let's let our fists do the talking, shall we?" Sam asked.

"Yes, we shall!" Ruby replied. She drew her scythe and held it behind her, the way she normally does. Sam smirked and finger-drew a scythe shape. _Wait, what?_ Ruby stood watching in curiosity. Sam took the scythe she drew, which was barely larger than a stick. She twirled the scythe in her hand, then mirrored Ruby's pose. When she slammed her "scythe" into the floor, it changed into an exact replica of Ruby's scythe, with the only difference being the color scheme. Where Ruby's scythe was black and red, Sam's was white in place of black, and yellow in place of red.

"Well?" Sam asked.

"Is that your semblance? Copying other people's skills?"

"Nah. Just their weapons. If I see a weapon, it gets stored into my memory banks and all I have to do is draw the outline of the weapon. The rest is memory."

"That's so cool!"

 **(S/N: You know the drill.)**

Smirking, Sam dashed forward with her scythe. Ruby smiled to herself. _You said you can only copy their weapons, Sam. You didn't say anything about skills,_ the team leader thought to herself. Meeting Sam's strike, Ruby went for a sweep with her scythe. Sam jumped over, attempting to strike Ruby's head, but failing to do so. The two traded more slashes with their scythes until the locked in a clash. "Sorry, Sam," Ruby struggled against the stronger female. "But you can't beat me with a scythe!"

"You're right," Sam replied. "I can't." Sam broke the clash and back flipped away from Ruby. Once she was a safe distance away, Sam dropped her duplicate scythe, and it shattered. She then finger-drew two weirdly shaped blades, then grabbed them as they formed. Ruby gasped at their appearance. They looked like twin sickles, only shorter, and she held one in each hand. They had a yellow gem on the bottom of each blade (sapphires, most likely). "So, what do you think of my Lightning Flash Crescent Blades? Pretty neat, huh?"

"Wow!" Smiling at the younger girl's innocence, Sam ran forward, much faster without the heavy scythe. She slashed and swiped at Ruby, only to be blocked by her scythe. Once Sam got a hit in, she started a combo. Ruby abruptly ended it by propelling herself backwards to the other side of the stage. Ruby looked up and growled. "I'm going to end this!" With that, she ran forward, using her semblance to run faster than Sam could see. Ruby became a corkscrew projectile due to how fast she ran, going through Sam and dealing massive amounts of damage to her Aura. Sam fell to her knees. Her blades had disintegrated, and she checked her Aura.

 _Crap. I'm not gonna go on_ , Sam thought to herself.

"And the winner of this duel is...Ruby Rose!"

Everyone applauded the young Huntress-to-be for her victory, to which she waved back to the crowd. When Sam got back up, they both shook hands and went back to their seats.

 **(S/N: Done.)**

"Our final match for today will be Nora Valkyrie vs. Eric Rogers." The two fighters went up, having changed into their Huntsman outfits before hands.

Nora whistled. "Nice trench coat, E."

Eric smiled. "Thanks, Nora." The two shook hands. After they walked back to their spots, they drew their weapons; Nora drew her grenade launcher/hammer hybrid, while Eric drew his explosive (and self-repairing) twin knives. "You ready?"

"I'm more than ready!"

"Begin!" Goodwitch called.

 **(S/N: Last duel.)**

Nora propelled herself towards Eric, who dodged backwards to avoid getting his head smashed. This process repeated for a couple of dozen more swings from the absurdly powerful Nora. Eventually, Eric threw his knives after charging them with Earth Dust, making sure to aim for Nora's feet. The knives landed true to their target, and Nora's feet were encased in rocks, rendering her legs useless at the moment. As she tried to free herself, Eric ran up and lunge kicked her. She went backwards, and Eric launched his Waypoint, similarly to what Johnny did against Yang. Once he was farther ahead than her, he concentrated and created a clone of himself, which stood as still as a statue. Once Nora was behind him, he swiftly turned around and slammed her into the ground with his palm. Nora could feel something eject from his glove, and was scared for the moment. She didn't know what he did.

Surprisingly, Eric jumped, and the clone he created suddenly flew towards Nora, hitting her with the force of a truck. As she got back up, Eric held his knives as they self-repaired. "Well, there's _my_ semblance revealed."

"What is it? I need to know!"

"Calm down. I can create clones of myself that are completely stationary. I don't have to dodge, but I can create them while avoiding an attack. If I hit something with the palm of my hand afterwards, those clones go towards that thing, like moths to a flame. These moths can kill, though. Or, at least, hurt. Like hell," Eric explained. He reassumed his pose once his knives were fully repaired. "Let's fight! Again!"

"Okay!" The strange girl replied. She dashed towards Eric again, who created a clone as he dodged. Strangely enough, while the previous clone had a black color, this one was yellow.

"Oh right. I forgot to mention that I can change the effects that my clones have with Dust. You can guess which Dust has what effect." Nora's eyes sparkled. This yellow clone was perfect for her. She knew what she had to do. The strong girl grabbed the clone and absorbed it. "What are you doing?" In response, Nora ran up to Eric, off guard by her unorthodox action.

"Peekaboo!" Eric turned behind only to be met with a powered-up punch. Which hurt. Like hell. He was launched all the way across the stage, crashing against the wall. The impact caused everyone watching to wince. They _felt_ that impact.

 **(S/N: Duels are over now.)**

"And the winner of this duel is...Nora Valkyrie!" All of her classmates cheered for Nora, including Team JEST.

"RRRRAHH!" Eric yelled as he slammed the ground. Nora jumped in surprise. She wasn't expecting this. At all.

Immediately, Team JEST jumped down from their seats and ran to their teammate. "Calm down, Eric," Johnny said sternly. "It's one loss."

"I'm not mad that I lost. Far from it." Eric shrugged off his brother's hand and pointed a finger at Nora. "I'm pissed about the _way_ I lost. Peekaboo, Nora?! Am I _that_ low on your shit list?!"

"Sorry," Nora chuckled nervously.

"Don't worry. We're still cool. Just don't pull that again, please." Eric extended his hand out as a show of sportsmanship, despite his blow-up. Nora shook his hand and the two went back to their seats, as well as Team JEST.

"Very good, Mr. Rogers. You should not get mad if you lose, children. These duels are to help better your fighting skills. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Professor Goodwitch," the entire class said.

"Good. You are dismissed." Everyone left, most people talking excitedly about the duels that transpired.

"Did you see that first duel?! When he went 'KAIO-KEN!', it was over!"

"Gravity manipulation?! That was so cool!"

"I wish I could copy other people's weapons."

"Those clones were...unexpected to say the least. And the way they changed colors! Oh man."

These were snippets of conversation that Team JEST, Team RWBY, and Team JNPR had overheard. "Looks like we left an impact," Thomas chuckled.

"Gee, you think so?" Johnny rhetorically asked.

"So, Kaio-Ken, huh, Johnny?" Yang asked as the three teams walked.

"What can I say? I love Dragon Ball Z," the Hunter-in-training said with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Damn, those duels were _tiring,_ " Sam complained slightly.

"At least your back isn't broken," Eric complained even more.

"Sorry," Nora sheepishly said.

"It's okay."

"Hey, Pyrrha," Jaune got his teammate's attention, "what did Thomas mean when he said that he figured out your semblance?"

"Don't worry about it," Thomas interrupted.

"Um, okay."

"Wait, what time is it?" Weiss asked.

Blake checked her scroll. "About 8:00."

"Eh, we still have time," Johnny stretched. "I'm heading to the library. I want to check out a couple of books."

"I'll go with you," Blake said. "I need to return a couple books."

"It's a date then." At this, Yang and Eric growled slightly. "Geez, calm down guys. I'm only joking." Slightly afraid for his life, Johnny left for the library, with Blake following closely behind him.

 **(x)**

 **9:45 PM**

"I'm beat," Thomas said. "I'm going to change and go to sleep, guys."

"Yeah, I'll do the same," Johnny said.

Sam said, "I'll go change in the bathroom."

"Another day at Beacon: done," Eric cheerfully said.

"Yep. Good night, guys," Johnny said as he got into bed.

"Good night," they all said before they fell asleep.

 **(x)**

 **S/N: Shit ending, but some amazing fights, if I have to say. Personally, the Yang vs. Johnny fight is my favorite because of the amount of time I put into it. Also want to say that I apologize for rushing it to the duels already. That was not my intention, so the next couple of chapters are going to be original adventures. Next chapter, I will be introducing the heads of the Rogers family as members of the staff at Beacon.**

 **Finally, in case it's confusing what their semblances and colors are, I will write it out here:**

 **Johnny: Jasper (Red)  
** **Semblance: Evolution (KAIO-KEN!)**

 **Eric: Emerald (Green)  
** **Semblance: Silhouettes**

 **Sam: Sandstorm (Yellow)  
** **Semblance: Blade Works**

 **Thomas: Teal Blue  
** **Semblance: Zero Gravity (he can manipulate his gravity or the gravity of other objects/people)**

 **Thanks for reading, and as always, R &R!**


	3. Chapter 3: An Unexpected Surprise

**Team JEST**

 **Chapter 3: An Unexpected Surprise**

 **S/N: I hope you guys enjoyed the previous chapter. I want to apologize for rushing through to the duels, but I'm going to reel it in. The next couple of chapters will be filler, mostly, and they will most likely be shorter than the previous one was. Enough of my rambling; enjoy this chapter, and please review!**

 **A/N: You know the disclaimer already.**

 **(x)**

"All students, please report to the main entrance. We have some very special guests arriving, and I would like to give them a warm, Beacon-style welcome," Ozpin said over the PA.

All of the students in the cafeteria started mumbling, talking to each other over who their guests were. They all left to see who they would be welcoming, Teams RWBY, JEST, and JNPR included. "Who do you guys think it is?" Yang asked.

Johnny shrugged. "Could be anybody. You never know, Shotgun." For Johnny, that nickname stuck for Yang.

"Why are we going so slow, guys?! C'mon!" Sam said excitedly as she ran ahead of the group, Nora and Ruby following closely behind.

"Sam, wait up!" Thomas called as everyone ran after the trio.

 **(x)**

"There it is!" Blake called as she pointed to the sky. Everyone followed her finger to see an airship preparing to touch down. Once it landed, the doors opened, and two people stepped out. One was a man and a woman. Judging from the way the woman had her arms linked with the man's, they must be married.

The man had auburn red hair, which was short and spiked slightly. He was wearing a blue coat, with a black shirt underneath. He also had on blue pants, and red combat boots. At his sides were two katanas, and he had on red fingerless combat gloves. The woman had blue hair that was the color of lapis lazuli. She even had a necklace that donned said gemstone, and her hair was tied back into a ponytail. She was wearing a midnight blue gown, giving her an elegant appearance in contrast to the man's rugged one. She had on black high-heeled combat boots, and she was wearing white gloves that went up to her elbows.

"Wait. They look familiar…" Weiss said, before she was interrupted by Team JEST.

"Mom! Dad!" Team JEST simultaneously called out as they rushed to greet their parents.

Their eyes lightened up considerably when the couple saw their children run up to the them. "Hey kids!" Mr. Rogers chuckled as he gave Johnny and Sam a hug.

"We've missed you four so much!" Mrs. Rogers said as she hugged and kissed Thomas and Eric. The team members switched parents to give the other warm welcomes.

"We had no idea that you two were the special guests!" Johnny happily said.

"Now you know," a voice called from behind the team. They turned to see the headmaster approach them with Goodwitch by his side. "Hello, Adrian. Lana. You both look well."

"Ozpin. Good to see you again," Mr. Rogers (Adrian) said as he shook Ozpin's hand. When Lana offered Ozpin her hand, Ozpin respectfully placed a kiss on it (you know how people do that out of respect, right?). Looking at Goodwitch, Adrian bowed respectfully as he said, "You look well, Glynda."

"As do you, Adrian," Goodwitch said as she curtseyed slightly. She looked to Lana. "The years have treated you well, Lana."

"I could say the same for you, Glynda. I trust my children have not given you _too_ much trouble?"

"They are some of the best students I've had. That still doesn't mean they're my favorites."

"With all due respect, Professor, we're right here," Eric said.

"Regardless."

"I must speak with you two in my office," Ozpin said, pushing his glasses back.

"We'll be there, Oz. We've been away from our children for too long," Adrian said.

"Understandably, you wish to spend time with them. Very well. As you are able to, come see me in my office. You of all people should know where it is, Adrian," Ozpin smirked.

Adrian laughed. "Ever the jokester, Oz. Of course." Still smiling, Ozpin turned to leave, with Goodwitch following him. Adrian and Lana turned to the stunned crowd. "Back to business, children!" Taking the cue, everyone went back to their business. However, Teams RWBY and JNPR stood where they were, eyes open and mouths gaping.

"Oh, right! Mom, Dad, we have to introduce you to our friends. They're over there," Johnny pointed in the direction of the stunned teams. The family walked to said teams, who eventually snapped out of their stupor.

"Dad, this is Team RWBY," Thomas said, motioning to Team RWBY. "That's the leader, Ruby Rose."

"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Rogers! It's an honor to meet you," Ruby nervously said.

"Nice to meet you, too, Ruby," Lana smiled.

"That's Weiss Schnee," Sam pointed to Weiss.

"It's good to see you again, Mr. Rogers! You two, Mrs. Rogers!"

"It's good to see you again, Weiss," Adrian placed a hand on the young girl's shoulder. "And before you say anything, your parents and siblings are fine." Weiss nodded.

"This is Blake Belladonna," Eric gestured to Blake.

"H-Hello," Blake nervously said. It's been a long time since she was _this_ nervous.

"Lighten up, Blake. We're good people," Adrian said calmly.

"Everyone's been telling me that."

"It's up to you to believe it," Lana said.

"And this is Yang," Johnny said while motioning to the yellow-haired brawler.

"Wow, Johnny. I'm already meeting your parents," Yang smirked to the teen.

Johnny shrugged. "I don't like taking things slow."

"Johnny's told us good things about you, Yang," Adrian said, looking directly at Yang.

"He has, has he?" Yang questioned, looking over to the fighter in question.

"I only tell the truth with my parents, y'know."

"He does," Lana said.

"Moving on," Johnny said. "This is Team JNPR. That's the leader, Jaune Arc."

"Wow…"

"Jaune?"

"I mean, it's an honor to meet you at last!" Jaune outstretched his hand.

Adrian looked at Jaune's hand for a second, worrying the poor leader. Finally, Adrian shook Jaune's hand. "You're gonna go far, kid. I know it."

"Guys, this is Pyrrha Nikos," Thomas introduced.

"Hello!" Pyrrha waved cheerfully.

"The four-time Mistral Champion herself. I must say, it is an honor to be in the presence of a prodigy," Adrian bowed out of respect.

Pyrrha returned the bow. "You're flattering me, sir."

"This is Lie Ren and that's his friend, Nora Valkyrie," Sam told her parents.

"Tales of your heroics spread to my town. Prior to its destruction," Ren said, offering his hand for a handshake.

"If I recall, it was a town outside of the kingdoms. I'm sorry it was destroyed," Adrian said regretfully.

"As am I."

"Do you like pancakes?" Nora asked, giddy for some reason.

"Do I like pancakes?" Adrian scoffed.

"Do you?"

"Do I?" He looked over to his wife. "Sweetie, do I like pancakes?"

"You love them, dear," Lana responded while smiling.

"Yeah, I like pancakes."

"Yay! We're going to be best friends!" Nora said, now happy for a real reason.

"Just ignore her," Ren said, exasperated at his friend's antics.

"So, guys, anything else you want to know?" Eric asked his parents.

"First of all, what creature did you kill in the forest?" Lana asked.

"An oversized Ursa. Next," Thomas said.

"Did you fight in any duels, and did you win or lose?"

"I fought Yang and won," Johnny said.

"I fought Pyrrha and won," Thomas said.

"I fought Ruby and lost," Sam said.

"I fought Nora and lost," Eric said.

"How?"

"Evolution."

"Zero Gravity."

"I fought her with a scythe and lost."

"I made a thunder clone and she absorbed, then said 'Peekaboo' before she took me out."

"Congratulations for the wins, and losing is nothing to be ashamed about."

"Thanks, Dad."

The others were confused by the rapid-fire conversation between the parents and the children. They discussed a couple more topics before moving on. "Kids, your mother and I have to go see Ozpin. We will catch up with you later."

"Bye, Dad! Bye, Mom!" The Rogers children called out to their parents' disappearing forms.

"Let's go guys. We have to get to class," Thomas cheerfully said as the Rogers walked to the building.

"...What just happened?" Yang asked, bewildered.

"I don't know," Pyrrha said,equally bewildered.

 **(x)**

"You may come in," Ozpin said when he heard a knock on the door. When he heard it open, he said, "Have you two considered my offer?"

"We have," Adrian said.

"And your answer?"

"We accept. If only to stay close to our kids," Lana said.

"Understandably." Ozpin sipped his cocoa before continuing. "Lana, you will be the school's doctor, and Adrian will co-teach the fighting class with Glynda. Welcome aboard, Mrs. Rogers and Professor Rogers. I hope the faculty and students will treat you well." All the adults rose, and Ozpin shook hands with Adrian, then with Lana. "If you want, you can start immediately."

"We will, Ozpin. Thanks for this."

"Don't forget: _I_ reached out to _you_ , so if anything, I should thank you."

"Don't worry about it. What are friends for?"

 **(x)**

"We have a new teacher today, children," Goodwitch announced to the class. "He will be co-teaching this class with, and help you improve far faster than I could do by myself."

"I think I know who it is…" Johnny said.

"Class, please give a warm welcome to Professor Rogers." As Goodwitch gestured behind the class and everyone turned to see, Adrian walked in.

"Let's get started, kids," he calmly said, ignoring the stares from the class, including his children and their friends. "Glynda, who're the first to fight?"

"Our first, and most likely only, match for today is Cardin Winchester vs. Jaune Arc."

The two fighters stepped up, battle-ready. However, Jaune's fighting in this match was...something to be improved upon, to say the least. After Jaune suffered a crushing loss at the hands of Cardin, Goodwitch dismissed the class as they were running out of time. Everyone else left, with Jaune and Pyrrha being the last two. "Jaune," Adrian called.

Both Jaune and Pyrrha looked towards Adrian, who motioned for them to come over. "Yeah, Mr. Rogers?"

" _Professor_ Rogers, Mr. Arc."

"Sorry, sir."

"I saw that, during your match, you weren't too sure of yourself. Care to explain?"

"I'm sorry, sir, but I don't think I should."

"I understand. But you _should_ share your secret with someone. It'll make you feel better. Trust me, I know."

"Okay, sir."

"Pyrrha, I need to talk to you. In private, preferably." Taking the cue, Jaune left the room.

"What is it, sir?" Pyrrha asked.

"Don't tell Jaune this," Adrian's voice went to a whisper, so Pyrrha had to lean in closer, "but I want you to start training him. He has potential, but he's not going to improve unless he gets a push. And from what I've seen, he trusts _you_ the most, so it would make sense if _you_ trained him. Remember: to him, this was _your_ idea."

"Got it. Thanks for looking out for Jaune, Professor."

"It's not a problem. I just hate seeing kids that don't live up to their potential. Take him to the roof, if you have to. Not immediately, but sometime soon."

 **(x)**

"So, our dad is teaching our class," Eric said.

Thomas grimaced. "I honestly feel bad for the other students."

"Why's that?" Weiss asked.

"Weiss, you may have met our dad, but you don't know what kind of training he'll put you through," Sam chipped in.

"If he sees that you have potential that you haven't reached yet, he will do _whatever_ it takes to draw it out of you," Johnny said as he underwent horrible war flashbacks of his father's training.

Yang rubbed Johnny's back comfortingly as he went through said flashbacks. "Why are _you_ so traumatized?"

"Johnny didn't unlock his Evolution until he was, like, 14. He's 17, now, so he had to go through," Thomas' face scrunched up in thought, "10 years of intense training until it unlocked. The rest of us unlocked ours 3-4 years before he did."

"Damn," Blake whispered.

"Hey, cut it out!" The group turned to the source of the noise to see Velvet, the Faunus that Thomas helped earlier in the semester, being bullied by Cardin and his team, as Cardin pulled on her ears.

"I told you they were real!" He said to his friends while laughing at the poor Faunus' misery.

"What a freak!" One of his members laughed.

Eric slammed his hands on the table his group was sitting in out of fury. He rose up, and walked to Cardin's team. "Leave her alone!"

"Hey guys, look at this," Cardin laughed as he let go of Velvet's ears, focusing his attention on the Faunus standing up to him. "Her hero's too busy, so he sent his pet." The team laughed, at least until Eric shoved Cardin.

Cardin and his team stood up, prompting Johnny, Thomas, and Sam to do the same. The latter team drew their guns (literally in Sam's case, and sword-conversion for Johnny's). As Eric and Cardin stood nose to nose, Thomas motioned with his gun for Cardin's team to sit down. "In case you idiots didn't get that," Johnny said, "sit down."

"If you don't," Sam said as all three put their safeties off, "things are going to get _real_ messy _real_ fast." Begrudgingly, Cardin's team sat down.

"Leave her alone," Eric repeated. "You have no idea what it's like to be a Faunus, jackass." Cardin merely growled in response.

"Mr. Rogers. Mr. Winchester. What is going on?" The opposing two turned to see Professor Rogers walk up to the two.

"Cardin was bullying a Faunus because of her ears," Eric explained.

"We were just having a bit of fun," Cardin attempted to justify the actions of his team.

"You mean Velvet, right?" Velvet stepped out from behind Adrian sheepishly. "She told me everything that happened here. I'm ashamed of you, Cardin. I thought you were better than that."

"I'm sorry, sir. It won't happen again," Cardin looked down in (most likely false) shame.

"Don't give me that bullshit. The next time I hear of this, I _will_ take it up with the headmaster. And I heard that he does _not_ let this sort of thing go unpunished. And as for _you_ , Mr. Rogers…" Eric awaited his verdict, "...I'm proud of you. You stood up for someone rather than let them get bullied further. Although next time you go to drastic means," Adrian looked over to his other children, who put their weapons away sheepishly, "I will _not_ let it go unpunished."

"Understood, sir," Eric said, relieved that he got off easy. With that, Professor Rogers left, and Cardin and Eric went back to their friends.

"Um, excuse me, Eric?" Eric turned to see Velvet standing nervously behind him.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks. You risked a lot for me."

"I know what it feels like to be discriminated for being different. It's why I wore a hood for so long." He placed a hand on her shoulder as she blushed slightly. "Be proud that you're a Faunus. Not that many of us left in this world."

"Okay. Thank you, Eric." Before she left, she placed a kiss on Eric's cheek, leaving the cat Faunus flustered and blushing slightly.

"Good job, man," Johnny said as he clapped Eric on the shoulder. "It takes balls to stand up to bullies."

"I'm even more proud to call you my brother, Eric," Thomas nodded in approval.

"If you guys didn't back me up when you did, I would've been done," Eric replied sheepishly.

"It's the thought that counts, E," Sam said.

"I don't think that kiss was necessary, though," Blake whispered. It caught the attention of Yang and Sam, but they didn't say anything.

 **(x)**

 **S/N: Sorry for the short chapter, but I plan on uploading faster. A little bit of fluff, though it's the first time I did something like this! Let me know what you guys thought. A fair warning, by the way: the next chapter or 2 are going to be** _ **primarily**_ **filler, because I have an important event planned that will take place in chapters 9 & 10\. The ending of every chapter, starting from the next one, will build up the premise of that.**

 **Till next time!**


	4. Chapter 4: A Day in the City

**Team JEST**

 **Chapter 4: A Day in the City**

 **S/N: I hope you guys enjoyed the previous chapter! Sorry if it was rushed, but I'll do my best to slow things down. Like I said in the previous chapter, the next chapters are going to be shorter than chapter 2, mostly so I can update more frequently. That being said, please R &R!**

 **A/N: Insert disclaimer here.**

 **(x)**

Johnny groaned as he sat up in his bed and looked around his room. He took a look at his scroll, and his eyes brightened when he saw the day on his scroll. "Saturday, huh? Oh, yeah, no classes," he said to himself as he stretched.

"Took you long enough, sleepy head," a voice to Johnny's left said. He turned to see Eric putting on his combat boots. "We made plans to go the city, but we're not leaving without you."

"We?"

"Team RWBY is going with us, but not Team JNPR, cuz they're too busy today."

"Gotcha." Johnny got up and walked to the bathroom. After a quick 5 minute shower, Johnny stepped out into the room, seeing he was all alone. He took the opportunity to change into his outfit, not putting his trench coat on just yet. As he was putting on his combat boots, there was a knock on the door. "Come in!"

The door opened, and Thomas stepped inside. "You ready yet?"

"Just about," Johnny said as he pulled on his boots. He ran a comb through his hair, setting it the way it always was. "Done."

"Good. Everyone's waiting on you."

The two walked out together as Johnny grabbed his trench coat. Johnny pulled it on as they approached the awaiting teams at the main entrance of the school. Blake was the first to notice them, and she smirked upon seeing them. "Sleeping Beauty's finally woken up, huh?"

"Yep. Prince Charming wouldn't give me a kiss to wake me up, though," Johnny jokingly replied.

"We all good?" Yang asked, stretching.

"Let's go." The group boarded the airship waiting for them.

Once they were on the airship, Johnny asked, "Any plans for today, or are we just going to wing it?"

"We're most likely going to wing it," Ruby said cheerfully.

"Figured as much." More small talk was made until the airship landed in the city. Once they exited the airship, Johnny called out, "Team JEST, meet with me real quick." The team broke away from the group. "Do you guys have your allowances? I know I have mine."

"Let us check," Sam said as she and her brothers checked the pockets of their coats. "I have mine."

"Same here," Thomas said.

"Yep," Eric said.

"Okay, just making sure," Johnny said.

"What was that about?" Yang asked as Team JEST rejoined the group.

"Don't worry about it. What should we do first?"

"Well," Weiss said, "I'm planning on going shopping."

"I'll join you!" Sam said as the two walked away.

"I'm going to head to the bookstore, maybe buy a couple books," Blake said, beginning to walk off in a different direction.

"I'll go with you," Eric said, catching up to Blake.

"Ruby, what about you?" Thomas asked.

"Oh! I know a good cookie store we can go to!" Ruby giddily replied.

"COOKIES!" Thomas yelled as he ran in a random direction.

"WAIT UP!" Ruby called as she ran after Thomas.

"What about you, Shotgun? Anything in particular you have in mind?" Johnny asked.

Yang placed her hand under her chin as she thought. "Have you been to a bar?"

"I know a _really_ good one. My dad used to take me there for my training. I was 12 last time I went. Really raised questions, y'know."

"What's it called?"

"The Quicksilver Bar. Their soda pops are _amazing._ "

"Lead the way, Swordslinger."

"Finally got a nickname for me?" Johnny remarked as the two began walking.

"Took me a while, but I'm proud of it."

 **(x)**

"Heeeere's Johnny!" Johnny called as the two teenagers stepped into The Quicksilver Bar.

"Oh God, he's back!" One of the patrons yelled.

"Run! Go, get outta here!" At that moment, about half of the patrons in the bar ran out.

"What?" Yang asked, bewildered.

"I kicked their asses seven ways to Sunday last time I was here." Johnny calmly walked up to the bar, where he sat down at a stool, Yang sitting next to him. "I'll take a soda pop, please."

"Coming up, kid," the bartender calmly said. Once he served Johnny his drink, the bartender did a double take upon seeing him. "L'il Johnny?"

"It's been a while, Manny," Johnny held his hand out for a handshake.

Manny the bartender shook Johnny's hand. "And what'll it be for your friend?"

"I'll take a Strawberry Sunrise, no ice. Oh! And one of those little umbrellas," Yang said.

Manny nodded. "Good choice. Drinks are on the house." As he prepared Yang's drink, Manny made small talk with Johnny. "So did you finally unlock your semblance? And are you attending any schools?"

"I unlocked my semblance two years ago, and I'm attending Beacon Academy with my siblings and my friend here," Johnny answered Manny's questions. "By the way, I kinda want to show you my semblance, but I won't be able to do that without starting a fight."

"Hey, kid!" The three turned to see a tall, bulky man walk towards them. He was followed by three others, his goons, most likely. "You're in my seat."

"Funny. Didn't see your name on it. Besides, it's a free country."

"Get up. Now. Are you deaf?"

"I heard you loud and clear, buster." Johnny stood up and looked up at the man, who smirked at the size difference between the two. "Turn around and walk away, _before_ I make you regret your decision. Or not. Make my day, buddy."

"You're going down, kid!" The man raised a fist to strike Johnny, who calmly finished his soda pop. Quickly, Johnny threw his glass into the man's face, prompting a scream of pain from said man. The screams stopped once Johnny slammed the man's face into the countertop.

"Anyone else?!" Johnny challenged. The other men looked at each other before (foolishly) charging at the teenager. Johnny calmly grabbed one guy's arm and threw his over his shoulder into the wall. The next guy, Johnny swept and slammed into the ground. The third guy tasted the sweet taste of blood when Johnny uppercutted him and sent him flying. "That was barely a challenge."

"Let's get him!" The rest of the bar patrons rose up and charged the Hunter-in-training. Johnny smirked and assumed a martial arts pose, and knocked them back with ease. This went on for another minute or two.

One person had the bright idea to jump on Johnny from behind, pinning him to the floor while others followed suit. Things were quiet for a second, before Johnny blasted everyone back when he activated his semblance. "Who wants some?!" Johnny growled to the cowards.

"Uh-uh. Hell no!" The other bar patrons ran out in fear.

Johnny deactivated his semblance as he sat back down. "Sorry for the mess, Manny."

"No worries," the bartender said as he waved his hand. "I got it covered." Johnny looked behind to see everything was in pristine condition, including the cup that Johnny smashed into the first guy's face. "Besides, you have your semblance and I have mine. I think you may need to check on your friend, though."

Johnny looked to Yang, who was staring in shock at everything that happened, until Johnny waved a hand in her face. "I had no idea you could fight like that!"

Johnny shrugged. "I like to shatter expectations. Makes me feel good." Johnny leaned over the countertop to shake Manny's hand. "See ya, Manny."

"Take care, Johnny!" the bartender called out to the disappearing teens.

"Before, we go anywhere else, Shotgun, I have to make a quick stop at the bookstore."

"Why?" Yang asked.

"I have my reasons."

The two walked in silence until they reached the bookstore, where they could see Blake and Eric reading some books from the window. When Johnny and Yang walked in, the two that were already in the store looked up for a moment and waved. After waving back, Johnny and Yang made their way to the front, where Johnny rang a bell. "Just a moment!" A voice called from the back. After a couple of seconds, the door that led to the back opened, and a man came out, carrying a crate of books. "Welcome to Tukson's Book Trade. Home to every book under the sun. How may I―?" Tukson went silent when he saw who his customers were. He laughed heartily. "Well if it isn't my best customer. How've you been, Johnny?"

Johnny leaned on the counter. "I'm doing well, Tukson. How's the business? This is Yang, by the way." Yang waved cheerfully.

"Pleased to meet you. Any friend of Johnny's is a friend of mine. And to answer your question, Johnny, things have been going good."

"That's nice to hear. Anyway," Johnny placed both hands on the counter, and his demeanor switched to a more serious one, "got anything new for me?"

"You're in luck, my boy. We _just_ got a shipment of new Dragon Ball mangas. It takes place a year after Buu dies, and Goku gets a new transformation in the first arc. The rest, I haven't had a chance to check it out yet."

"I'll check it out for myself, then. Let me see it." Tukson pulled a book from under the counter and passed it to Johnny. Johnny quickly flipped through it, looking through the manga. "Not bad. Dragon Ball Super, huh? How many volumes do you have?"

"All of them."

"I'll take one copy of each please."

"Lucky for you, Johnny," Tukson picked up the crate he carried out, "I knew you'd come by later today, so I took the liberty of preparing a box for you."

"Did Eric tell you?"

"Yes, he did, actually."

"Thanks, E!" Johnny called. Eric lazily gave a thumbs up. Looking back to Tukson, Johnny dug around in his pocket. "How much?"

"5,000 Lien." Yang's eyes widened at the price, even more when she heard Johnny chuckle in response.

"Only 5,000? That's a steal." Johnny took out several bills and handed them to Tukson, who took them gratefully. Johnny lifted the box and began to walk out. "I'll see ya soon, Tukson!"

"Take care, Johnny!" Tukson called back.

When the two left, Yang asked Johnny, "Just how much do you carry on you, exactly?"

Johnny shrugged. "If I told you, then you'd go on a shopping spree."

"Who am I, Weiss?"

"Fair point. Still not saying."

Yang pouted, crossing her arms as the two walked. "That's not fair, Johnny."

"All's fair in love and war, Yang."

 **(x)**

 **Hours ago…**

"COOKIES!" Thomas yelled as he ran.

"WAIT UP!" Ruby had to use her semblance to keep up with Thomas. She stopped right in front of Thomas, holding her arms out to catch and restrain the teen. "You overshot it anyway! By, like, a couple blocks!"

"Sorry. I just _really_ love cookies!" Thomas said giddily.

"So I see. Follow me." Ruby began dragging Thomas by his hand to the shop. Once they were in front of it, Ruby placed her hands on Thomas' shoulders. "Do you promise to behave yourself while we're here?"

"No promises," Thomas replied.

"Good enough!" With that, the cookie-obsessed duo went in.

"Oh my god, there are so many cookies in here." Thomas said this because there were shelves that were packed with cookies: chocolate chip, butter cookies, festive cookies, you name it, they had it.

"I'm a frequent buyer here. I can tell you right now, no other cookie compares to these cookies."

"I'm glad to hear you say that, lass," a voice called. Thomas turned to see that it was the owner. "It's an old family recipe."

"Hello, good sir! I would like to buy some cookies, please!"

"Do you have any money?"

"I do, sir," Thomas spoke up.

"By all means, take your pick!"

After selecting many, _many_ cookies, Thomas paid for their sweet tooth. "How much money do you have anyway, Thomas?" Ruby said as she was about to chow down on a cookie. Thomas snatched the cookie away, eliciting a cry of protest from the cookie-loving girl.

"Enough to buy us milk to wash these cookies down. Gimme a sec." Thomas walked into a nearby store and walked out about a minute later with two bottles of milk. He handed one to Ruby, who took it from him gratefully, along with her cookie. The two sat down at a bench in the park, eating their cookies and drinking their milk. "And to answer your question, my siblings and I carry about 100,000 Lien with us." Ruby's eyes widened at that piece of information. "Our parents insist, in case we want something."

"Wow! You're like a walking bank!"

"You could say that." The two sat in peace as the continued to eat their cookies. "You weren't kidding. These cookies are something else."

"That's why I love going to that store."

After the two finished their cookies, Thomas threw away his bag in the nearest trash can, as well as his milk bottle (he wasn't a monster, so he recycled them), with Ruby following suit. "By the way, Ruby, I don't think we talked about our interests yet. You want to start, or should I?"

"You can start."

"Well, I like reading, but not as much as Johnny and Eric. I like sweets, cookies to be specific. I like training, and listening to music."

"My turn! I like reading the stories that Yang read to me when we were kids. I love cookies, and while I train, I do it to stay in shape. And I like listening to music, too."

"Okay, so we like the same things. That's a good start." Thomas looked to his right and saw a Dust store. "Let's stop there real quick. I need to buy some more Dust."

"Okay." With that, the two walked into the store. Thomas went over to the cash register, and bought several Ice Dust crystals, among others. The two left and walked around the city for a bit, chatting more.

"Hey," Ruby asked after some silence.

"Yeah?"

"Do you have your headphones?"

"I threw them out the other day. They stopped working."

"Why don't we get some more? I know a good place!"

"You always know good places. Lead the way, Ruby." Thomas followed Ruby for about 5 minutes across town before they stopped at an electronics store.

"I'll pick out a good pair of headphones for you." Ruby said.

"I'll go with you. I want to get some for Eric. Earbuds, maybe," Thomas said as the two walked in.

"Aw, that's so nice of you, Thomas!"

"What can I say?" Thomas picked out a pair of green and black earbuds. "Perfect! Ruby, you have yours yet?"

"They're yours, technically. And yeah, I have them."

"Can I see?"

"Not yet!" After the two bought the headphones and earbuds, they walked out of the store. They stopped at the park once more, and sat down at the bench they sat at earlier.

"Today was fun, Ruby," Thomas told the girl while smiling.

"It was for me, too," Ruby said, blushing slightly.

"What songs are you into?"

"I don't really have a specific genre, but I do have two songs that I love."

Thomas took out his scroll. "Tell me what they are, and I'll download them. I'll listen to them later."

"No need. You can listen to them with me." Ruby took out a pair of earbuds, plugging one in her left ear and offering Thomas the right one. He graciously took it, and waited for Ruby to get the song on.

The two sat in silence for several minutes, listening to Ruby's music in peace.

"I can see why you like them," Thomas said approvingly as he took off the earbud and handed it back to Ruby. "What're they called, though?"

"Red Like Roses―Part II, and This Will Be The Day."

Thomas downloaded them on his scroll. "Not bad." Quickly, he checked the time on the scroll. "5:45, huh? We should probably head back to the square. Maybe we can get a late lunch and head back to Beacon."

"Sounds like a plan!" With that, the two rose from their spots and went to go to the square.

 **(x)**

 **Hours ago…**

"I'm going to head to the bookstore, maybe buy a couple books," Blake said as she walked towards the direction of the bookstore.

"I'll go with you," Eric said, catching up to Blake. "I need to continue a couple series I started reading, anyway."

"I know the owner. He'll let us read in the store for a bit, as long as we buy something in the end."

"Sounds like a plan." After a couple more minutes of silence, Blake and Eric reached the bookstore. "Tukson's, huh? Johnny gets his mangas from here."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah. I'll have to give Tukson a heads up."

When they entered the shop, a voice called, "Welcome to Tukson's Book Trade! Home to every book under the sun! How can I help you?"

"Hey, Tukson," Blake said with a wave.

"Blake! Good to see you. And who's your friend?"

"I'm Eric Rogers. You know my brother, Johnny. Speaking of, he'll probably come by later today, so you should have some Dragon Ball mangas ready."

"Thanks for the heads up, Eric. You know the usual drill, Blake." Tukson went to the back as Blake sat down in an aisle of books.

"Pick a book and start reading," she told Eric as she did the same.

Eric picked up a book, and began reading next to Blake. The two remained this way for about an hour, before Johnny and Yang came in. After they left with Johnny's box of mangas, Eric took a couple of books and made his way to the front. "I'll buy these, Tukson."

"100 Lien, Eric."

After Eric paid and left, he patiently waited for Blake, who walked out with her own bag of books. "What now?" Blake asked.

"I was thinking that we could talk for a bit, seeing as how we already read to our heart's' content in there," Eric responded as the two began walking.

"What do you want to talk about?"

"Who're the White Fang? I've only ever heard of them."

"You don't know who the White Fang are?"

"Nope. My mom and dad kept that from me for my own protection."

"The White Fang is an organization of Faunus who want to destroy humanity for the way they discriminate Faunus. Before, they were peaceful, only protesting. Eventually, though, they began to turn more and more violent."

"Is that why they're regarded as criminals?"

"Yes."

"Wow. The more you know. Okay, your turn."

"How are _you_ related to the Rogers? Neither of your parents are Faunus, from what I could tell."

"Easy. I was adopted."

"What happened?"

"I'm only going to tell you what my dad told me. The day he found me in my destroyed village-"

"Destroyed how?"

"Infestation of Grimm. They killed everyone there. The creatures of Grimm were about to kill me, too, before my dad killed them. He couldn't save everyone else, though. I was barely a day old when it happened. It was also the day after Thomas, Johnny, and Sam were born."

"They're triplets?"

"I thought that was obvious. Anyway, due to circumstances, my birthday was made to be their birthday as well. July 24."

"I'm sorry for your loss."

"Don't be. I didn't even know my mom and dad, nor do I remember them. I had a place in the Rogers' household, and ever since, I had faith that humanity would treat Faunus better."

"That's some pretty deep thinking for a 17-year-old."

"Aren't you, Weiss, and Yang seventeen yourselves?"

"Good point."

"What do you want to talk about, now?"

"I don't know. Let's just get something to eat."

"I'll buy." The two walked into a cafè, and sat in a booth as a waiter came by to take their order. Blake ordered a couple slices of pizza, and Eric ordered a fish burger (unsurprisingly). After they ate, they paid for their meal, left a tip for the waitress, and resumed their walk-and-talk.

"By the way," Eric started with a smile on his face that made Blake nervous, "I couldn't help but notice some jealousy in your tone the other day. When Velvet gave me a kiss on the cheek."

"I didn't even say anything," Blake lied through her teeth.

"Whatever you say. I bet you're just mad that you didn't make the first move," Eric joked as he walked ahead. Nothing Blake's absence, he turned to see Blake blushing slightly. "Oh my god, you're mad that you didn't make the first move."

"No I'm not."

"Blake, I know you're lying."

Blake was silent as she caught up to Eric. The two walked in awkward silence for a couple more minutes. Finally, after some thinking, Blake had something to say. "What about that time when Johnny joked about our time in the library being our 'dates'? You seemed awfully defensive."

"So did Yang. Your point being?"

"You're good, Rogers."

"All part of who I am, Belladonna." The two kept talking and laughing as they made their way to the square, where they had to meet up with the others.

 **(x)**

 **Hours ago…**

"Well," Weiss said, "I'm planning on going shopping."

"I'll join you!" Sam said as the two walked away. "Where should we go first?"

"I want to get some new clothes first, then maybe a new pair of shoes afterwards."

"I guess I'll buy a couple dresses, maybe a new pair of shoes. For special occasions, of course." After a couple of hours shopping (yes, they took that long), the two girls began making their way back to the square. Sam stopped in front of a store, causing Weiss to look back at her in confusion.

"Sam? What's up?"

"Let's make a stop here real quick," Sam said, still looking into the store.

"Why?"

"There's something in here that I want to buy for Johnny. I know he'll like it."

"What is it?"

"Follow me and we'll check it out." The two shoppers walked into the shop, which smaller than what they thought it'd be. "There it is!" Sam pointed to an object on display. The appearance of the object in question caused Weiss' jaw to drop.

It was a pair of black and red gauntlets, which was spinning around so the girls could see the object in full. It went up to the wearer's elbows, and ended in a point. The gauntlets had fingerless gloves, and they weren't heavily-armored gauntlets either. They looked sleek and polished, almost entrancing. The price read, "10,000 Lien."

"You can afford it, right?" Weiss asked Sam.

"Psh. Look who you're talking to." Sam walked up to the gauntlets and removed them from the display case. She brought them over to the cashier, who was lazily reading a magazine. "How much is this?"

The cashier took a look at the gauntlets when he looked up from his magazine. "10,000 Lien, little lady."

Sam took out a wad of bills as the cashier rang the gauntlets up. She handed the bills to the cashier after making sure it was 10,000. When she got the bag with the gauntlets, she and Weiss left. "Johnny does _not_ deserve you as brother," Weiss remarked.

"I know," Sam replied with a smile. "I'm sure he'll make it up to me on our birthday."

 **(x)**

The entire group met up back at the square at 6:00, tired from their long day. "So guys," Johnny said, "let's get some late lunch. Anyone know a good spot?"

"We can get some pizza," Eric suggested.

"I'm game," Yang said.

"Count me in," Ruby added.

"As long you're buying, E," Thomas smirked.

"How much do you guys have on you, anyway?" Yang asked. "Johnny won't tell me."

"You'd most likely go on a shopping spree if he told you," Sam rolled her eyes.

"Aren't we friends, guys?!"

"We are. Some friends just have to have secrets."

"Fine. Johnny, can I see your Waypoint?"

Johnny shrugged and placed down the box he was holding. He unsheathed his Waypoint from his belt and handed it over to Yang. Calmly, Yang aimed, then threw the knife, eliciting a cry of protest from Johnny before he disappeared. A second passed. Then another. Then the knife came back, and Johnny reappeared, looking cross. "That was uncalled for, Shotgun."

She snatched the Waypoint out of Johnny's hand and aimed again. "If you don't tell me, I'll do it again."

"Don't! Fine. I carry about 100,000 Lien on me." Yang's eyes widened as she dropped the knife. Johnny expertly caught it and sheathed it. "Now if you'll excuse me," Johnny began as he picked up his box again, "I have to go place these back on the airship and safeguard my wallet." Johnny walked into the airship and walked out a few seconds later, this time without his box. "Guys, if you have any bags, place them on your seats." At that, everyone went inside and placed their bags on where they were sitting. They walked out, ready to get something to eat.

"Anyone know a good pizza parlor?" Blake questioned.

"Follow me," Sam said. As the group followed Sam, Johnny's eye caught an ammunitions store. He snuck away and rejoined the group after a couple of minutes, the whole time unnoticed.

Yang looked at the bags in Johnny's hands. He had one in each hand. "What's in those?"

Johnny held out one bag to her, which she took. "That has about 20 normal shotgun ammo belts, and 20 explosive ones. 5 Lien each belt." He shook the other bag in his hand. "This has 40 more ammo clips for my guns. Figured we could both use a refill on ammo."

"Thanks, Swordslinger."

"Anytime, Shotgun."

No one questioned the extra bags that Johnny and Yang had while they ate pizza, Eric and Blake eating less because they ate earlier. They made their way back to the airship, where they sat back down as the ship took off. "So, are we going to exchange gifts, or what?" Thomas jokingly asked.

"I'll go first!" Sam said as she reached for one of her bags.

"Wait, you guys actually have gifts?"

"Here you go, Johnny!" Sam handed Johnny the bag.

When Johnny peered inside, his eyes widened at what was inside. He pulled out the gauntlets and examined them closely. "Can I put these on?"

"By all means. I want to see how they look on you." Given permission, Johnny slid the gauntlets over his trench coat, and it fit surprisingly well.

"Damn, these look nice! Sam, I honestly don't deserve you as a sister."

"That's what Weiss told me. You'll make it up to me on our birthday."

"You got that right."

"Ooh! My turn! My turn!" Ruby jumped up and down in her seat. She brought out her bag, and handed it to Thomas. "Here! Remember when I said I'd get you a new pair of headphones?"

"Yeah, cuz mine broke." Thomas took out the headphones from the bag, and stared at the design of the headphones. They were normal over-ear headphones, like the ones Ruby had. However, they were blue and white, with traces of silver on the headphones, and a black cord that connected the headphones to the user's scroll. "Oh my god, I love these already."

"Aw, thanks! It was the least I could do after you bought us cookies and milk."

"It was no trouble. Really. Eric, I got these for you," Thomas gave Eric his bag.

Eric took out the earbuds that Thomas had gotten him. "Nice! Thanks, Thomas."

"No problem. Besides, I know how much the normal headphones bothered you, so I got you these. Also because I felt bad that you're the only one where who didn't get to enjoy the sweet sensation of pocket music."

"You shouldn't have. Is that all, everyone?"

"Yeah, I think so," Weiss said.

"Let's just enjoy the ride back in peace," Johnny said as he leaned back with his hands behind his head.

 **(x)**

"Today was fun, guys," Johnny said as he got off the airship, the others following him. "And I'm digging the new gauntlets, Sam."

"You're welcome, Johnny," Sam smiled.

"Johnny!" The group turned to see Adrian walk up to them.

"Yeah, Dad?" Johnny asked.

"I need to talk to you. Privately." Johnny nervously looked back to the group, who motioned for him to go ahead. Trusting them, Johnny followed his dad, who stopped outside the doctor's office. "Go in. Your mother and I need to talk to you."

"Am I in trouble?" The teenager asked as he walked in.

"Of course not, sweetie," Lana said, dressed in her doctor's coat. "Your father has an idea regarding your training."

Johnny's eye twitched at that word. "Keep going."

"I want to try something. I want to see if you can absorb Dust before you activate your semblance," Adrian said as he stepped in.

"Should we do this now, or…?"

"Do you want to?"

"Kinda."

"Okay, then. We'll start with one Fire Dust crystal first. Your mother will examine your vitals and see when it gets too much for you."

"Got it." Johnny grabbed the Dust crystal his dad offered him, and focused. "By the way, Dad, where did this idea come from?"

"When Eric told me how he lost to Nora, something clicked. If she can absorb electricity, then I believe that you can absorb fire. Besides, it couldn't hurt to try."

"I guess." Johnny closed his eyes and concentrated, feeling the fire go into his body as the Dust crystal lost its color and energy, becoming a shallow crystal. Johnny placed it back, and breathed deeply. With a shout, he activated his semblance, and he could notice a difference. "Dad, is it weird that I feel stronger?"

"Amazing. Lana, how's he doing?"

"Well," Lana said as she peered into her computer, "since this is his first time doing something like this, it's natural for there to be fluctuations in his vitals. But he's recovered fairly quickly."

"Dad, can we continue this later? I have to get back to the others," Johnny said as he grabbed the crystal again. He concentrated again, and the Dust regained its color and energy. "I'll see you at 9:00, Dad."

"Meet us here, Johnny!" With a nod, Johnny began to leave. "And it's okay if you want to tell your friends. But you have to come to the lessons by yourself." Johnny nodded again and left the room.

"What was that about?" Yang asked as Johnny approached them.

"My dad wanted to try something out with my training. He wants me to absorb Fire Dust crystals to add more power to my semblance," Johnny responded.

"Judging from how easily you told us, he told you that you can tell us, right?" Blake questioned.

"Yep. I promised him I'd meet up with him and our mom at 9, alone. So don't be surprised if my bed is empty guys."

"We got it," Thomas said.

 **(x)**

 **S/N: Sorry to cut it off here, but it was getting too long. The next chapter will be entirely filler, and will have (possibly) no action. Sorry for that.**

 **Please R &R!**


	5. Chapter 5: Confidant

**Team JEST**

 **Chapter 5: Confidant**

 **S/N: Sorry for the abrupt ending of the previous chapter, but it was getting too long. I separated it into two separate chapters, with this one being partially about Lana, and about Thomas and Ruby. Like I said before, this is entirely filler, with little to no action.**

 **A/N: Only one thing left to say.**

 **S/A: I am not a crook.**

 **(x)**

"You're doing good, Johnny," Lana said as she peered into her scroll, examining her son's vitals as he practiced in his Dust-powered Evolution. "Your body is getting used to the heat."

"I feel it, too," Johnny remarked as he dished out a couple more punches and kicks, noticing how he was going faster. Having enough for the day, Johnny grabbed the nearby Dust crystal that he had drained and returned the energy. "I have to go, Mom," he explained as he walked towards the door.

"Of course. I'll see you tomorrow, sweetie. Take care," Lana waved to her son as he waved back. She heard a meow at her feet, and looked down to see her two cats circling her legs. "That's right, I still have to feed you. Wait a moment." Lana got up and walked to the cabinet in her office, big enough for 3 people. She opened it and took out a box of catnip. She poured an equal amount into two separate food bowls, eliciting a meow of happiness from both cats. One went to the bowl labeled, "May," and the other went to the bowl labeled, "Charlie". Lana watched them as they ate, then went back to their baskets to sleep. Sighing, Lana went into the next room, where she slept normally, and fell asleep after changing and getting on the bed.

 **(x)**

"Hey, Mom?" Lana turned to see her eldest son walk into the room.

"Thomas. Isn't it time for class?"

"It's my lunch break. I wanted to talk to you about something," Thomas sat down in front of her desk.

"Sweetie, you can tell me anything. Remember, what happens in this room stays in this room," Lana sat down on her side of the desk.

Thomas smiled. "I knew I could count on you, Mom."

"During school, sweetie, it's 'Dr. Rogers'."

"Sorry, ma'am."

"I'm only joking, Tommy. Now start talking. There's not that much time left."

"Okay. Mom, I...think I'm in love."

"Who's the girl, sweetie?"

"It's Ruby. She and I have so much in common. And she has that charm that makes you want to be with her all the time. And I can act like myself around her, because I know she won't judge. Thing is, I don't know if she feels the same."

"Give it time, Thomas," Lana comfortingly placed a hand on her son's, "I'm sure she'll see what a nice, caring young man you are. When did these feelings start, anyway?"

"I don't know for sure. Maybe when we went to the city a couple days ago."

"What did you two do?"

"Well, we ate cookies and drank milk. Then we bought some Dust. Then we listened to music on her scroll after she bought me a new pair of headphones, and it was nice. I had fun. Although, I think they may have started before that, when we first met."

"Okay. Does she know about your feelings?"

"Maybe? I dunno." Thomas looked at the clock, and rose from his seat. "I'll talk to you later, Mom. I needed this."

"Anytime, sweetie." Thomas left, and Lana resumed her work. After a couple of minutes, Lana heard a sound at her door, and looked up to see Ruby enter. "How can I help you, Ruby?"

"Hello, Mrs. Rogers!" Ruby said cheerfully. She stepped in and sat down where Thomas sat minutes prior. "Can I tell you something?" Ruby asked, somewhat nervous.

"What happens in this room, Ruby, stays in this room. Tell me what's on your mind."

"I...think I'm in love."

"...Who's the boy?"

"It's Thomas. He and I have so much in common. And he has that charm that makes you want to be with him all the time. And I can act like myself around him, because I know he won't judge. Thing is, I don't know if he feels the same."

 _That's scary,_ Lana thought before she responded. "Give it time, Ruby." Lana comfortingly placed a hand on the girl's. "I'm sure he'll see what a beautiful, kind-hearted young girl you are. When did these feelings start anyway?"

"I don't know for sure. Maybe when we went to the city a couple days ago."

"What did you two do?"

"Well, we ate cookies and drank milk. Then we bought some Dust. Then we listened to music on my scroll after I bought him a new pair of headphones, and it was nice. I had fun. Although, I think they may have started before that, when we first met."

"Does he know your feelings?"

"Maybe? I don't know." Ruby looked at the clock and rose from her seat. "Thanks for the talk, Mrs. Rogers. I needed this."

"Anytime, dear." Ruby ran out of the room, leaving Lana.

Lana placed her head in her hands as she groaned in frustration. _If those two don't get together, I'm going to blow a fuse._ Lana heard a third knock on the door, causing her to look up and see her second-oldest son. "Johnny. Let me guessーyou're here to tell me you're in love?"

Johnny raised an eyebrow. "Let _me_ guessーThomas and Ruby came in here one after the other, both told you the exact same thing about being in love with the other and not being sure about how the other feels, and left the room, leaving you to blow a fuse if they don't get together?"

"It's times like these that make me wonder why _your_ semblance isn't telepathy."

"I don't know, either. Although, you _were_ spot on about me telling you who I'm in love with."

"It's Yang, isn't it?"

"Is it that obvious?"

"Sort of, sweetie. Anyways, I wouldn't worry. I'm sure Yang feels the same way."

"I can't be too sure, so I guess I'll play it safe for now." Johnny turned to leave. "I have to go. Since I'm team leader, it'd look bad if I was late. Love you, Mom."

"Love you too, sweetie. And don't forget, Saturday is your next lesson!" Johnny waved behind him as he walked away.

 **(x)**

 **Friday...**

Thomas and Ruby were walking out of the cafeteria together, chatting harmlessly. When they stopped outside their rooms, which were next door to each other, Thomas took a deep breath. _Here goes nothing_. He turned to face Ruby. "Hey, Ruby?"

"Yeah, Thomas?" Ruby tilted her head to her side curiously.

 _Goddammit, why is she so adorable?!_ "I was wondering if you wanted to get dinner together tomorrow?"

"You mean like a date?"

"I...guess?"

"Okay. You'll pick me up at 7?"

"Sure. G'night."

"G'night!" Ruby waved as she walked back to her room, despite it being only 8:45. When she walked in her room, she closed the door, and leaned back on it, sliding down as she did so. _WHY DID I AGREE TO THAT?!_

 **Meanwhile…**

 _WHY DID I DO THAT?!_ Thomas asked himself as he slid down his bedroom door.

"Tommy?" Thomas looked up to see Johnny walking to him, then sliding down the door next to him. "What's up?"

"I asked Ruby out to dinner. She asked if it was a date, and I said that it was."

"Y'know, I can see you two getting together."

"Not helping, J. What do I do? It's my first date."

Johnny sighed in annoyance as he got up and walked to the dresser. He pulled out an immaculate blue suit and handed it to Thomas. "It's just dinner, right?"

"Yeah. So?"

"Then wear this, and just. Be. Yourself. You already do that around her anyway, so it shouldn't be any problem for you."

Thomas smiled. "It's times like this that I wonder why you and Yang aren't together yet."

 **(x)**

 **Meanwhile…**

"Hey, little sis," Yang said as she slid down the door next to Ruby. "What's up?"

"Thomas asked me out on a date, and I said yes."

"Aw that's so cute!" Yang squealed. "I always thought that you two were great for each other!"

"That's not the point, Yang. What do I do? It's my first date."

Yang sighed as she got up, went to the dresser, and pulled out a modest red and black dress and handed it to Ruby. "It's just dinner, right? Nothing else?"

"Yeah."

"Then just wear this and be your normal, adorable self. It shouldn't be any problem for you, since you two do that around each other anyway."

"Yang?"

"Yeah, Ruby?"

"Why aren't you with Johnny, yet? With this wisdom, you two should've gotten together by now."

 **Simultaneously…**

"Yang/Johnny and I are friends. Nothing more," both teens responded to their respective siblings, each sporting a slightly disheartened look at that realization.

 **(x)**

 **Saturday, 7:00 PM**

Thomas anxiously waited for Ruby, with Johnny by his side. Thomas looked over to his slightly annoyed brother. "Thanks for agreeing to be my wingman, by the way."

Johnny waved it off. "If I didn't, you would've bothered me until I said yes. Besides, I'm only doing this so you don't make a fool of yourself."

"Feeling the love, Johnny."

"You shouldn't be." Thomas rolled his eyes at his brother's antics, until he saw Ruby approaching with Yang by her side.

Ruby was dressed in a long-sleeved red-and-black dress, with black leggings and red heels. There was (appropriately) a rose corsage on her wrist. Thomas' breath was caught away from her beauty, until Johnny nudged him. "Why are you here, Shotgun?" Johnny asked Yang, who was dressed in a simple yellow dress with yellow heels.

"I could ask you, Swordslinger," Yang countered, taking note of Johnny's red suit and black tie. "Not bad."

"You, too. Anyway, I'm here as Thomas' wingman."

"I'm here as Ruby's wingwoman."

"Double date, then?"

"Sure," Ruby chirped cheerfully. She glanced at Thomas' blue suit and black tie, similar to Johnny's. "You look great, Thomas!"

"Thanks, Ruby. You look amazing."

Ruby blushed. "You're just saying things."

"Guys?" Johnny interrupted. "I don't think the airship's gonna wait forever."

"Let's go!" Yang dragged Ruby by the hand, while Johnny pushed Thomas from behind. They got on the airship, and began to leave.

 **(x)**

 **Saturday, 8:45…**

"I dunno about you, Shotgun," Johnny said as he watched Thomas and Ruby from his and Yang's table, "but I think they're handling it pretty well."

"I have to agree," Yang replied while looking at her menu, constantly shifting between the menu and the couple-to-be. "So, have you decided yet?"

"Yeah. Let's wait for the waiter." After a couple of minutes, the waiter came over. "I'll take a Caesar salad."

"I'll have what he's having," Yang told the waiter as she and Johnny handed him their menus. The waiter smiled politely as he took down their orders, then went to the next table. Upon noticing Johnny's look, Yang shrugged. "I never tried a Caesar salad before."

"You're not going to regret it, I promise you."

 **At Thomas and Ruby's table…**

"In all honesty, Ruby," Thomas said as he swallowed his chicken salad, "I'm having a _really_ good time."

"Me too," Ruby timidly replied as she ate her chicken parm.

"Hold on," Thomas said as he took his unused napkin. "You got a little something on your cheek. I'll get it." Thomas reached over the table as he wiped Ruby's cheek, causing the girl to blush. "There. It's gone." Thomas noticed her blush. "What's up, Ruby?"

"N-Nothing," Ruby nervously waved off Thomas.

"I'm sorry. You've been...kind of nervous this whole time. Is something up?"

"It's nothing, Tommy. It's just...I'm kinda nervous about this date. I mean, I like you, butー"

"But you're not sure how I feel about you?" Thomas finished her question. "I think that the fact the I asked you out on this date speaks volumes about how I feel."

"Really?! You feel that way about me?!"

"Of course. You're adorable, pretty, someone I can relate to...and the way you make everyone smile when they're around you just captivated me."

"Well, now that we're doing this, I guess I should say something about you." Ruby cleared her throat and adjusted her posture so she looked like Professor Port, eliciting a stifled chuckle from Thomas. "You're handsome, kind, non-judgemental, and someone I know I can have a fun time with. That, and the fact that we have so much in common seals the deal."

"Can we talk about this later? I'm getting embarrassed."

"Me, too."

 **(x)**

 **Later, back at Beacon...**

"That was fun," Ruby sighed contently as she held on to Thomas' arm.

"I have to agree," Thomas replied. The two stopped in front of Ruby's team's room. The two separated. "I guess this is where we say goodbye for tonight?"

"I think so." Ruby stood there for a couple more seconds, hands behind her back. "Don't I get a good night kiss?"

Thomas nearly tripped over his own feet, prompting Ruby to steady him. "U-Um, s-s-sure," Thomas nervously stuttered. The two leaned in closer, until their lips met each others. They stayed locked like that for a couple more seconds, until they both pulled away.

Ruby smiled, blushing. "Good night, Thomas."

Thomas smiled back, blushing as well. "Good night, Ruby." Ruby gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before she walked into her room.

"You'd better treat her right," Yang remarked as she walked into the room after Ruby.

"Congratulations, man," Johnny clapped his brother on his shoulder. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to change and meet Mom for another lesson."

"Don't come back with too many visible bruises." Johnny rolled his eyes as he stepped in his room, then stepped out about a minute later. "Good night, J."

"G'night, T." Thomas entered the room as Johnny went to his mother's office.

 **(x)**

"Your body seems to be reacting to 2 Dust crystals just fine, Johnny. I'm impressed by the progress you're showing," Lana nodded in approval as she viewed Johnny's vitals.

"It's because I've had someone trustworthy supervise me," Johnny smiled to his mother, who smiled back. He looked at the clock in his mother's office, and said, "Look at that. I have to go to sleep, Mom."

"Good night, sweetie. Come earlier next week, if you can."

"Of course," Johnny said as he returned the energy back to the Dust crystals. Before he left, he made sure to give the cats some scratches behind their ears, eliciting purrs from them. After he left, his mother fed the cats, then fell asleep after her usual nightly routine.

 **(x)  
S/N: In case it's unclear what exactly happened, Thomas and Ruby got together! Also, sorry for the sporadic updates. Things are hectic in school, but other than that, I have no real reason for them. Also, this is _by far_ the shortest chapter I've written. Next one will be (slightly) longer.**

 **A/N: Please R &R!**


	6. Chapter 6: The First Mission

**Team JEST**

 **Chapter 6: The First Mission**

 **S/N: Wow, I did** _ **not**_ **expect to upload two chapters in one day last time. Unless it was a two-part thing, like Chapters 9 & 10 will be. Anyway, here is Team JEST's first mission, and I hope you all enjoy this! This is still taking place in Volume 1 of RWBY, and Volume 2 of both Team JEST and RWBY will start from Chapter 11.**

 **A/N: Didn't we do this already?**

 **(x)**

"Hey, Johnny?" Sam asked as she, Thomas, and Eric followed their leader/brother. "Where are we going?"

"We, my dear little sister, are going to get our first mission," Johnny replied as they continued walking.

"It's about time!" Thomas exclaimed.

"Yep," Eric added.

"I think I see Professor Ozpin over there!" Sam pointed out. Indeed, the headmaster was waiting for the team, most likely to assign them a mission.

"Good morning, Professor," Johnny said respectfully.

"Good morning, Team JEST. I trust you had a good night's sleep?" Ozpin replied as he sipped his hot cocoa. **(S/N: Ozpin actually drinks hot cocoa from his mug. If you don't believe me, look it up on the RWBY Wiki.)**

"Yes, we did, sir," Eric responded.

"Good. Now, pick your mission." Ozpin calmly held out a scroll in front of Johnny. "It will be your choice because you are the team leader, Johnny."

Johnny nodded, and took the scroll from Ozpin's hand. _I don't want to do anything_ too _advanced,_ he thought to himself as he peered over his choices. Finally, he found one that he thought would be perfect for his team. "This one." He selected it and handed the scroll back to Ozpin, who nodded in approval of his mission choice.

"An excellent beginner mission. Good choice, Johnny."

"What did you pick?" Thomas questioned.

"Dust store robbery," Johnny calmly replied. "We'll have to find the culprits, and return the stolen Dust."

"Not a bad start," Sam remarked.

"The Hunter you will be shadowing," Ozpin interrupted, "will be Professor Goodwitch."

"Yes, sir." Johnny motioned for his team to follow him to the airship that was waiting for them. He could tell it was theirs because Professor Goodwitch was patiently waiting for them at the entrance of the ship.

"Are you ready for your first mission, children?" Goodwitch asked as they all sat down, waiting to be taken to their mission area.

"Yeah. Also a bit nervous," Johnny spoke for the team, who nodded in agreement.

"That's good. It's not healthy to go into a mission without a few butterflies in your stomach. _Especially_ on the first mission," Goodwitch smiled.

"Thanks, Professor," Thomas responded.

 **(x)**

"So what happened here?" Johnny questioned the owner of the Dust store as his team stood by, and Goodwitch watched.

"Some guys wearing masks came in and stole all the Dust. They looked like White Fang," the owner answered.

"The White Fang? Why would _they_ need Dust?" Eric questioned his teammates.

"Who knows? Maybe they're part of a bigger agenda," Sam offered.

"That wouldn't be _too_ far off," Thomas placed his hand under his chin in thought.

"That's not all. They were with a human, and that guy was wearing a white coat, and a black bowler hat. Had bangs over his right eye, and some kind of eyeliner under his left," the owner contributed.

"Hmm," Johnny said in thought. He walked over to Professor Goodwitch. "Do you know anyone who fits that description, Professor?"

Goodwitch nodded. "Your parents dealt with someone like that before. I also had to deal with him when I first met Ruby. His name is Torchwick."

"Guys!" The rest of Team JEST looked over to their leader. "Start looking for clues. Eric, you search by the counter. Sam and Tommy, you guys go over to the powdered Dust." The team nodded and went to their assigned places.

After a couple of minutes of searching, Eric saw something from out of the window. He observed the sky, and saw that it was nighttime. _Perfect,_ the cat Faunus thought. His eyes glowed green as he activated his Night Vision, an advantage that Faunus had over humans. Just as he thought, he saw faint tire tracks that were difficult to see for the human eye, as they were as dark as the street. "Johnny!" Eric called his brother over.

"Yeah, E?!" Johnny called back.

"I found something!" Immediately, Johnny, Thomas, and Sam rushed to Eric's side, who pointed out the window. "I see tire tracks, and they're heading that way. I wager that, if we follow them, we'll find the place where these guys stored the Dust."

"Eric, no words can describe how invaluable you are to us," Thomas said proudly.

"Lead the way, Eric," Sam said.

Eric nodded, and ran ahead, the rest of his team following him.

 **(x)**

"There," Eric pointed out a warehouse to his team, who, after squinting, saw it. "The trail ends there. That's where the Dust will be."

"Nice, Eric!" Johnny clapped his brother on his shoulder.

"It's nothing."

"He is right, Mr. Rogers," Goodwitch spoke. "Without your contribution, the Dust may have never been found."

"Thanks, Professor." Eric looked back to the warehouse, then looked at Johnny. "How'll we play this?"

"Eric, you create some Silhouettes, see if you can send them out to do some recon. After they're done, bring them back, and tell us what they saw," Johnny said in an authoritative tone.

Eric nodded, then closed his eyes and concentrated. Two clones, both black, appeared, then ran to the warehouse, going in opposite sides. After a couple of minutes, both Silhouettes reappeared, running back to Eric. Once they ran back inside his body, Eric opened his eyes and relayed his findings to the group. "The Dust is in there, all right. Along with that Torchwick guy that the owner identified, and a whole lot of White Fang."

"If Torchwick is in there, then we'll try to bring him in. If we can't, we'll just have to take the Dust and leave."

"You got it. Are we going to barge in through the front door?" Sam asked.

"Eric, was there a back door?" Johnny questioned. Eric nodded. "Good. Then we'll sneak in through the back, help ourselves to some punch, then get out with the Dust."

"My kind of party," Thomas smirked.

"Let's go." With that, the team sneaked away, leaving Goodwitch behind to see how the mission went.

 **(x)**

"You worthless mutts!" Torchwick growled as he instructed the White Fang members. "If you drop that Dust, this whole damn building will blow up!"

"Sorry, sir," one of the White Fang soldiers called out.

Torchwick sighed as he took out a cigar and placed it in his mouth. He proceeded to light it, until he heard a noise from the back. Groaning in frustration, Torchwick went to the back to investigate the scene. He looked around in annoyance, failing to notice the figures above him. "Tommy," Johnny whispered, prompting his brother's attention to himself. "Use your semblance, and see if you can alter the gravity of those boxes. Then, see if you can get them outside _without_ them blowing up." Thomas nodded in understanding, then proceeded to close his eyes. He concentrated on the boxes, and, after Torchwick abandoned the search effort, he shifted the gravity of the boxes so they began floating in the air. He made them fly out the open window, the same way they entered from, and made sure they landed safely in the grass, far away from the warehouse. "Is that it?" Thomas concentrated for a few more seconds. He opened his eyes and nodded.

"That's it. We can go now."

"Not without a little fun," Eric growled after observing Torchwick's verbal abuse of the Faunus. He concentrated as he grabbed two Fire Dust crystals. He formed two Fire Silhouettes, that dropped lightly to the ground.

"What are you doing?!" Sam whispered urgently.

"Sending a message."

"Let's at least get away first, E," Johnny whispered. Eric begrudgingly nodded as the team left. "Are those going to kill them?"

"No, of course not. Just give them severe third degree burns," Eric responded once they were safely outside.

"Good enough. Let's go. And Eric, close the doors." Eric smiled mischievously as he snapped his fingers.

 **(x)**

"WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO ALL THE DUST?!" Torchwick yelled in fury.

"We don't know sir! They just…floated!" one of the soldiers said.

"DON'T GIVE ME THAT BULLSHIT!"

"It's not!"

"What are those?!" Both Torchwick and the poor soldier looked to the direction that another was pointing. There were two red figures that waved before high-fiving.

Fire burst out of the windows, as well as a lot of smoke. When it cleared, the police that had arrived at the scene saw several unconscious White Fang soldiers, but no sign of a leader.

 **(x)**

"Thank you kids so much!" The owner of the robbed Dust shop praised as he shook the hand of each of the members of Team JEST. "I am forever in your debt!"

"Don't worry about it, sir," Eric chuckled sheepishly.

"We were just doing our job," Sam said with a smile.

"Regardless, I don't know how to thank you!"

"You don't have to," Thomas said.

"Oh, but I must! I can't let heroism like this go without rewarding it. The next time you kids need Dust, I'll give you some for free! As much as you'd like!"

"Sir, that's too much!" Johnny exclaimed.

"Nonsense! It's the only reward worthy of you four. And I won't take no for an answer!"

"If you insist, sir."

"Take care!" The owner waved to the heroes as they left the shop, but not without waving back.

"Excellent work, children," Professor Goodwitch remarked as the Huntress and the team walked back to the airship. "Your parents would be proud."

"Thank you, Professor. Can we go back now? We need to catch up on our lessons."

"Don't worry. Your absences from your classes have been excused, due to your team being on a mission."

"Regardless, we don't want to fall behind," Thomas spoke for the team, who nodded in agreement.

"Your drive to learn never ceases to amaze me, Team JEST. I'm sure you can get the lessons from a friend. Follow me." Goodwitch turned to leave. "We're leaving."

"Yes, ma'am!" Team JEST called as they followed the Huntress.

 **(x)**

"...Then the whole thing blew up! All thanks to this guy, right here!" Johnny clapped Eric on the shoulder, who grinned sheepishly in response.

"Wow!" Ruby's eyes widened.

"Not bad, Swordslinger. You're quite the tactician," Yang smiled.

Johnny smiled back and shrugged. "I have to be. It _is_ up to me to decide how things'll go, so I have to calculate my approaches. The stealth option seemed like the smarter one, so I took that one."

"Well, do you want us to catch you guys up on what you missed?" Weiss asked as she brought out her binder.

Thomas smiled as he drank his juice. "That'd be nice, Weiss."

"No fair! I wanna tutor Tommy!" Ruby childishly pouted as she crossed her arms.

"Slow down, Rosebud. I didn't say I _wouldn't_ let you tutor me." At that, Ruby lightened up considerably.

"I'll take your lessons, Weiss!" Sam spoke up.

"At least _someone_ wants my lessons," Weiss replied as Sam shifted closer.

Yang looked towards Johnny, who looked back. "You want me to tutor you?"

Johnny shrugged. "Blake's tutoring Eric already, so why not?" Indeed, the Faunus was being tutored by his (apparent) crush.

 **(x)**

 **Saturday night…**

"Let's try three Dust, Johnny," Adrian said as he handed three Fire Dust crystals to his son.

Johnny nodded and took the crystals, placing two in his right hand and one in his left. He absorbed all three at once, and when he activated his semblance, he could _feel_ the power difference. However, he stumbled a bit, drawing some concern from his mother.

"Johnny, your vitals spiked for a bit. Are you okay?" Lana asked.

"I'm just not used to all this heat going through me," Johnny explained once he steadied himself. His dad stood behind him, and nodded when Johnny turned around. As they were in the courtyard, they had a lot more space to practice. Johnny threw a punch to his dad. Neither were expecting Adrian to be launched all the way across the courtyard. Johnny ran to his dad, his speed being enhanced by the Dust energy going through him. "Crap! Sorry, Dad!"

"It's okay son," Adrian said as Johnny helped him up. "I should have been more prepared." He placed a hand on his son's shoulder. "I'm proud of the progress you have made, Johnny. That'll be it for tonight. Next lesson will be next Saturday." Johnny nodded and grabbed the three empty crystals his mother gave to him, and sent all the energy that the Dust gave his body back into it. As he turned back to the school, Adrian asked, "By the way, Johnny, is it true that Jaune killed an Ursa to save Cardin?"

Johnny smiled. "Pyrrha, Ruby, and Weiss saw the whole thing. Also, Pyrrha's semblance is polarity, so that's a thing. And Pyrrha told Thomas, who told me, that she began giving Jaune lessons to help him improve. Your idea, Dad?"

"You know me too well, Johnny."

"That's the result of your training. G'night, Dad. G'night, Mom. Love you guys!" Johnny called to his parents as he ran back into the building.

"He's getting better," Lana remarked as she wrapped both her arms around her husband's arm. "Although his vitals went dangerously high for a second. I think we should spend the next lesson in trying to get his body used to absorbing more Dust."

"That'll be a good start for him, Lana. Let's go." Lana nodded as the two went back into the building. "Have I told you lately that I love you?"

"I don't think you have, sweetie. I love you too, by the way."

 **(x)**

 **S/N: Next chapter is going to cut to the scene at the docks, where Penny is taken away (Penny will have met Team JEST beforehand), so expect that to be short. Chapters 9 & 10 will be released on the same day as chapters 19 & 20 of Arctic01's SAO story, "The Tri-Blade Alliance," so go give him all the love you can spare!**

 **A/N: Please R &R!**

 **S/A: Till next time!**


	7. Chapter 7: Secrets Revealed

**Team JEST**

 **Chapter 7: Secrets Revealed**

 **S/N: I hope you guys enjoyed the previous chapter! I will try to get Chapter 8 out soon, so Arctic and I can get started on Chapters 9 & 10.**

 **A/N: We don't own RWBY.**

 **(x)**

"Blake!" Yang called as she, Ruby, and Weiss looked for their lost teammate.

"Guys?" The trio turned to see Team JEST looking concerned. "What's up?" Johnny asked.

"It's Blake. She left, and we can't find her!" Ruby exclaimed.

"Why'd she go? Did Weiss do something?" Eric joked. After noticing the silence, he sternly asked, "Weiss, what did you do?"

"Weiss called Blake a criminal since she was a part of the White Fang before she came to Beacon," Yang explained.

"The White Fang ARE criminals!" Weiss justified.

"That doesn't mean that Blake's a criminal!" Thomas crossed his arms and shook his head in disappointment. "You're better than that, Ice Queen. Come on!"

"We'll help you!" Sam said.

"Thanks, guys. We could use the extra help," Yang said.

"I'll help, too!" The group jumped in surprise when Penny spoke up from behind them. "Who're we looking for?"

"Penny! Don't do that to us!" Johnny said as he placed a hand over his heart.

"Sorry. Who're we looking for?"

"Blake," Eric said once he calmed down.

"Ohhh...you mean the Faunus girl."

After a moment of silence, Johnny asked, "How did you know that?"

"The cat ears?"

"What cat ears? She wears a...bow..." Yang said before she came to the realization.

"Penny, we've got it covered. Right guys?" Ruby spoke. Receiving no response, she turned to see that everyone else, except Thomas, had left.

Thomas looked around, then sighed. "I dunno, Rosebud. _We_ could the extra help."

"Yay!" Penny cheered. "Let's go!"

 **(x)**

"What exactly happened between those two, anyway?" Johnny asked Yang as they walked.

"Weiss was calling the White Fang criminals, since they've been at war with the Schnee Dust Company."

"The company that my parents work with?"

"The same one. Anyway, apparently the White Fang killed several people she knew, and they even stole a Dust train from them. These actions did not please Weiss' dad, and resulted in a...rough childhood for her."

"Geez. And how did Blake respond?"

"'You have no idea what we go through.' Blake said that before she ran away, and she's been missing since Friday."

"And you've had no luck so far?"

"Why do you think we asked you guys for your help?"

"Point taken. Let's get searching, Shotgun."

 **(x)**

 **That night…**

 _She's gotta be here somewhere,_ Eric thought as he looked around the docks with his night vision. He sighed when he had no luck, until he heard the sound of an airship overhead. He looked up, and his eyes widened upon seeing the White Fang symbol on the ship. _Oh, no._ He looked to his left when he heard two pairs of footsteps rush by. They were too silent for anyone to hear, but he _barely_ managed to hear the sound with his cat ears. He saw two figures run by, and he chased after them, believing them to be related to the White Fang in some way. He jumped on top of the loading container in front of him, and used his night vision again to get a better look at the figures. His eyes widened when he saw who it was. He crept over to where they were, sticking to the shadows. Once he was close enough, he whispered, "Blake!"

The run-away member of Team RWBY turned to see Eric, and she motioned for him to come closer. Once he was next to her and Sun, she asked him, in a hushed tone, "Why are you here?!"

"I should be asking you that! And why didn't you tell me that you were a Faunus?! Or White Fang?!"

" _Former_ White Fang. I didn't like the way they were headed, so I ditched them."

"And who's this?"  
"I'm Sun Wukong," the monkey-tailed Faunus said.

"As in the Monkey King?"

"I...guess?"

"She's not your type, by the way."

"Eric!" Blake blushed slightly. "Not now, okay? We've got something to do."  
"Fill me in, and I'll help you guys out. Especially since _that_ guy is still alive," Eric gestured to Torchwick.

" _Still_ alive?"  
"I meant out of custody."

"Sure…"

"No one asked you, Monkey Boy."

"Scratch me, Kit Kat."

"I like you already."

"Ditto."

"Intruders!" One of the soldiers had investigated the bickering, and found them out.

"Great job, guys," Blake groaned as she drew her weapon, and charged the soldier, easily taking him out. "Our cover's blown!"  
"Sorry," Eric and Sun said sheepishly as they drew their weapons. Both took note of the other's weapon choice, Eric having his explosive knives and Sun having his bō staff.

"Let's go!" Eric threw his knives at a soldier, creating an explosion and knocking him back into the crowd, while Sun whacked a couple of soldiers away with his staff. "Torchwick's not going to be waiting forever!"

"Got it!" With that, all three Faunus ran towards the human, knocking down the White Fang as they went.

"And who the hell are these mutts?!" Torchwick angrily said as he turned to face Blake, Eric, and Sun. He did a double-take when he saw Eric. "Wait a minute. Aren't you the one who blew up my warehouse?"  
"Look at that. He remembers," Eric remarked as his knives began to glow green.

"Payback time." With a snap of his fingers, several White Fang soldiers surrounded the trio. "You took my warehouse, so I'll take your head. Fair trade, Kitty?"

"Hmm," Eric held his head in mock thought. "Pass." He threw his knives down, and, when they exploded, an earth dome formed around the three, then blew apart as rocks flew around and knocked down the White Fang. "Besides, I thought the White Fang didn't affiliate themselves with humans."

"Oh, look at you, Kitty! Smarter than I thought you'd be," Torchwick sarcastically remarked. He casually aimed his cane at Eric, and launched a bullet, causing the green-haired Faunus to dodge.

"No you don't!" Blake yelled as she rushed at Torchwick, reverting her Gambol Shroud to its katana form as she grabbed Torchwick and held him in place, her sword at his throat. She removed her bow with one hand as she addressed the surrounding members of the White Fang. "Brothers of the White Fang, why are you aiding this scum?!" The White Fang members looked at each other in confusion.  
Torchwick chuckled. "Kid, didn't you get the memo?"

"What are you talking about?"

"The White Fang and I are going in on a joint business venture together."

"Tell me what it is, or I'll put an end to your little operation," Blake threatened as she drew the blade closer to Torchwick's neck.

There was a deafening sound in the air, and as the two looked up, Torchwick remarked, "I wouldn't exactly call it a little operation." As the trio of good Faunus were distracted, Torchwick smirked as he aimed his cane at Blake's feet, and shot.

 **(x)**

"Tell me you two heard that," Thomas said as he turned towards the direction of the sound.

"We heard it," Ruby replied. "Let's go!" Ruby ran to the docks with Thomas and Penny following her.

 **(x)**

"What was that?" Yang asked as she looked towards the direction of the noise.

"Nothing good. 20 to 1 that's where Blake is," Johnny replied as he ran ahead.

 **(x)**

"Blake!" Eric ran to his friend's side as she got up. He steadied her as he asked, "Are you okay?"  
"I'm fine," Blake replied. They heard a gunshot, and both dived in opposite directions as the ground where they were standing blew up, with more gunshots following Blake.

As Blake ran away, Torchwick looked to the direction where Blake went, then to where Eric went. "Come out, kitties." He was rudely interrupted in his search by a banana peel falling on his bowler hat. Then, he was knocked down by Sun, who managed to climb the shipping containers during that time.

"Leave them alone!" Sun sternly told the crook.

More White Fang members jumped out of the airships, one bunch landing behind Torchwick, and the other landing behind Sun. "You are _not_ the brightest banana in the bunch, are you?" Torchwick remarked.

Sun prepared himself as the White Fang charged him. With his fists and feet, he knocked a couple down, before taking out his collapsable bō staff and knocking down some more. To get rid of those left standing, Sun slammed his staff on the ground, creating a small shockwave that knocked the remaining White Fang off of their feet.

Blake peered out the corner of a shipping container, Eric looking out with her. After Sun threw a White Fang member at Torchwick, who calmly dodged it, the crook fired a bullet at the monkey, who spun his staff to deflect it. "HE'S MINE!" Blake and Eric yelled at the same time as they jumped in front of Sun. They both charged Torchwick, and engaged him in a 2v1 duel.

Torchwick was holding his own rather impressively, blocking both Eric's and Blake's strikes with his cane. He landed a couple of hits in between the clone-creating and dodging, chuckling at the two Faunus' feeble attempt to fight back. He was not prepared for Sun's interference, as the Monkey Boy knocked Torchwick away from the downed cat Faunus duo. He quickly broke apart his staff into two nunchucks, and fired a bullet from one at Torchwick, who was unable to block it. "Gunchucks," Eric whispered in amazement. The two fighters kept on fighting, with Sun launching rapid-fire shotgun blasts from his gunchucks. Using Torchwick's distraction to her advantage, Blake got up and kicked the human away. Torchwick looked up, and saw a shipping container hanging over the duo. He aimed his cane and shot the rope, causing the Faunus to dodge in different directions.

Torchwick had his cane aimed at Sun's head, but was interrupted by a loud, "HEY!" The two turned to see Ruby walk up on the roof of the warehouse overlooking the docks, as she slammed her scythe into the roof.

"Oh, hello, Red!" Torchwick waved as he turned to face the young Huntress-in-training. "Isn't it past your bedtime?"

"You know him, Rosebud?" Thomas asked as he unholstered his guns and switched them to their swords.

"I had a little encounter with him before I was enrolled in Beacon," Ruby explained.

"Is he your friend?" Penny asked the couple.

"Penny, get back!" Ruby instructed the girl. Seizing the opportunity, Torchwick aimed his cane at Ruby and fired. Thomas saw the bullet coming, and tackled Ruby out of the way, as Torchwick laughed. Penny had a look of rage on her face, as she walked forward. "Penny! Wait! Stop!" Ruby called out to her friend.

"Don't worry, Ruby!" Penny looked back to Ruby. She faced forward again. "I'm combat ready!" As she said this, her backpack opened, and several swords popped out, forming a circle behind the girl. As she ran forward, Penny's swords flung forward and knocked down several White Fang members. When Penny landed, she broke into a roll as her swords came back to her. She stabbed through one member, then through another, sending the second one back to the shipping container. She used her swords as a spinning shield to knock back two White Fang members that charged her. She flipped over one, her swords knocking another down. She gestured forward, and her swords went through the rest of the White Fang, knocking them down like bowling pins.

As Penny was beasting through the White Fang (pun intended), Thomas and Ruby watched in shock. "How is she doing that?" Thomas asked.

"Semblance, maybe?" Ruby offered.

"That seems unlikely, sweetie." The two kept watching as two airships, both of which were cut apart by Penny's laser, flew over their heads. After she launched her swords into an airship that was carrying a shipping container, Penny walked back, dragging the airship with her.

"These kids just keep getting weirder," Torchwick remarked after he ran back to his airship, and after he saw Penny pull the ship (that her swords were pulling) into a bunch of stacked shipping containers. The remaining two airships flew away into the night sky.

 **(x)**

At dawn, the police were at the docks, along with Sun, Blake, Eric, Thomas, Ruby, Johnny, Yang, and Penny. The group was sitting on a bunch of crates when they heard footsteps approach them. They turned to see Sam and Weiss approach the group. Ruby got up, and began to speak. "Look, Weiss, it's not what you think, she explained the whole thing you see, she doesn't actually wear a bow, she has kitty ears and they're actually kind of cute." Weiss stood in front of Blake.

"Weiss, I want you to know that I'm no longer associated with the White Fang. Back whenー"

"Stop," Weiss cut Blake off. "Do you have any idea how long we've been searching for you?" Without waiting for a response, Weiss continued. "Twelve hours. That means I've had twelve hours to think about this. And in that twelve hours, I've decided…" Everyone waited for Weiss to continue. "...I don't care!"

"You don't care?" Blake asked uncertainly.

"You said you're not one of them anymore, right?"

"No, I haven't been since I wasー"

"Uhpbupupup…I don't want to hear it," Weiss dismissed with a wave of her hand. "All I want to know is that the next time something this big comes up, you'll come to your teammates. And not someー someone else."

"Of course, your friends work, too," Sam added.

Blake looked to her team, who all smiled at her. Then she looked to her friends in Team JEST, all of whom nodded. Blake wiped away something on her cheek, then said, "Of course." This prompted a smile from Weiss.

After a moment, Ruby cheered, "Yeah! Team RWBY is back together!"

The group came closer, then laughed as Weiss pointed a finger accusingly at Sun. "I'm still not sure how I feel about you!"

"He's chill, Weiss. If it wasn't for him, Blake and I would've died," Eric defended his new friend.

"Hey guys," Johnny got everyone's attention.

"Where's Penny?" Thomas finished what Johnny was about to say.

From a police car that wasn't too far away, Penny watched her friends. "You should know better than to go running around in a strange city," the driver spoke.

"I know, sir," Penny responded, slightly ashamed of her actions.

"Penny, your time will come."

 **(x)**

 **S/N: Another chapter, done! Sorry if this was rushed, but I can't wait to get to Chapters 9 & 10! And a quick review of what's to come in chapter 8; just expect the fruits of Johnny's training to pay off. It's going to be short, and just one match, so I can get started on Chapters 9 & 10.**

 **A/N: Please R &R!  
S/N: Till next time!**


	8. Chapter 8: The Fruits of Training

**Team JEST**

 **Chapter 8: The Fruits of Training**

 **S/N: Sorry if I'm rushing things, but Arctic and I want to get the** _ **good**_ **chapters of our stories out soon, hopefully by the end of the weekend. Also, this chapter is going to be short. And slightly rushed. And my shortest chapter yet. Fair warning.**

 **A/N: *sighs* I kinda wish we owned RWBY.**

 **(x)**

Johnny was walking to his next class, until he was stopped by his dad. "What's up, Dad?"

Adrian placed a hand on Johnny's shoulder. "Your next class is the one that Professor Goodwitch and I co-teach, right?"

"Yeah."

"I've informed Professor Goodwitch of our lessons, and she agreed to let you fight today, and your match will be the only one."

"Who's my opponent?"

"I can't give _everything_ away, Johnny. Come with me. I'll take you to the next class." The father-son duo began walking to Adrian's classroom.

 **(x)**

"Sorry for the holdup, Professor Goodwitch," Johnny sheepishly said as he and Adrian walked in.

"It's okay, Glynda. It was my fault," Adrian vouched.

"I will count that as your late pass, Mr. Rogers," Goodwitch said. "Please sit in your normal seat." Johnny sat down with his team, and they waited for Goodwitch to give the matches for the day.

"We will only have one duel, today, children," Goodwitch said, much to the protest of everyone. Ignoring this, Goodwitch continued, "It will be Nora Valkyrie vs. Johnny Rogers."

The two called fighters walked up to the stage, ready to fight. The two shook hands, and got ready to fight. However, before Goodwitch could start the match, Adrian walked up to both fighters and handed them something.

Johnny, having received three Fire Dust crystals, began to concentrate and absorb the energy from the Dust, leaving the crystals as hollow cases. Nora received three Lightning Dust crystals, and absorbed them. As the two powered-up teens got ready to fight, Adrian yelled, "Begin!"

Johnny and Nora rushed at each other, meeting the other halfway. Nora was surprised by the speed Johnny had, as well as his power. Johnny, however, punched harder when he felt Nora's power. The two kept trading blows, and locked in a clash, attempting to gain ground. From his scroll, Johnny felt a buzzing, and smirked. He broke out of the clash and backflipped away. As he activated his semblance, he yelled, "KAIO-KEN...TIMES THREE!" His power increased drastically, pushing Nora back as she raised her arms to defend herself from the wave of power that emanated from her opponent.

"Oh my god," Thomas said in awe.

"Is _that_ what Dad's been teaching him?" Sam asked, astounded.

"I think so. Times three, huh?" Eric said as he leaned closer. Secretly, he wanted Johnny to win against Nora for that 'Peekaboo' victory she had on him.

"You can do it, Johnny!" Yang supported her friend.

Ruby, Weiss, and Blake were too much in awe to speak, focusing on the match instead.

Johnny darted around Nora with his heightened speed. He figured that as long as he kept to his evasive tactics, he would be safe, as Nora's strength was the only thing benefiting from her Semblance. He was stopped in his tracks when Nora turned and socked her opponent in the jaw, right at the place he was running to-behind her.

Johnny grunted as he got knocked back, but managed to stay on his feet. He dashed and sent a punch Nora's way, the girl having blocked it. She and Johnny both started punching each other in lightning-fast strikes.

"MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA…!" Nora shouted while attacking.

"ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA…!" Johnny shouted while hitting back.

"Oh, hell no," Thomas muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose and shaking his head in disappointment.

Eventually, Johnny broke the combo by kicking Nora in the stomach and head-butting her, but Nora's skull proved to be thicker than his, and Johnny clutched his head in pain.

Nora giggled and grabbed Johnny, lifting him up above her head. She jumped and slammed Johnny down, causing those watching (excluding the teachers) to wince at the impact-and crater-the move created. Johnny rolled out of the way from Nora's oncoming punch to where his head would have been. Lying on his back, Johnny did a kip-up, and turned to face Nora, powering up even more in the process. With ungodly speed, he rushed to Nora, and sweeped her with his leg. While she was airborne, Johnny did a one-hand handstand and kicked her in the face **(S/N: Think Fox's up-tilt in SM4SH)** , then immediately followed up with a flip-kick to her jaw, sending her up higher.

Nora landed hard on her back, and got up the second she hit the floor. "YOU CAN DO IT, NORA!" Nora looked to her team to see Jaune cheering for her. Nora smiled and waved at Jaune, then took out her hammer-grenade launcher love child. Johnny, in response, drew his swords and converted them to their gun forms. The two propelled themselves to the other with blasts from their weapons, and engaged in combat once more.

Johnny parried most of Nora's hammer blows, retaliating with several gunshots, most of which landed. Nora shrugged them off, and responded with a god-tier hammer strike, knocking Johnny back all the way across the stage. Johnny landed safely and broke into a roll. "Let's finish this!" Johnny yelled as he reverted his guns into swords and charged at his opponent.

"Bring it on!" Nora yelled back as she put away her weapon and ran towards Johnny.

Nora jumped high in the air, and fell down towards Johnny, charging her fist with electricity to put more power in her punch, while Johnny encased his leg in fire for a more forceful kick. The two hit each other with _a lot_ of force, and both were knocked back from the force, lying semi-consciously on the floor; Nora was on her back, and Johnny was lying on his stomach. "Oh, dear. It seems we have a double knock-out," Goodwitch remarked.

"I know how to settle this," Adrian replied. Looking back towards the downed fighters, he said, "This winner of this match will be whoever can get up first." At this, the two fighters stirred awake.

"You can do it, Johnny!" Johnny's team yelled as their leader stirred.

"You're not going to get pancakes if you lose, Nora!" Jaune and Ren yelled, causing Nora to start getting up.

Both fighters got up at the same time, then stumbled, as both were shaken from the energy output from the other. Thinking fast, Johnny took one of his swords, and stabbed the blade into the ground, using it to keep himself up on his feet.

Nora, however, wasn't so lucky. She followed Johnny's example and planted her weapon on the ground. However, as the area where she planted her hammer was _not_ a crater, it slid and fell, taking Nora with it. "And the winner of this duel is...Johnny Rogers!" Adrian called.

Everyone cheered for the winner as he steadied himself one last time before sheathing his weapon. He limped over to Nora and extended his hand out to her. "That was fun. Sorry for making you lose your pancake rights," Johnny sheepishly said as he helped her up.

"That's okay! I'll just bug Ren until he makes me some!" Nora replied cheerfully as she shook Johnny's hand.

"You are dismissed, children," Goodwitch called as everyone got up and left, still talking about the duel that transpired.

"Good match, Johnny. I see your training has paid off," Adrian remarked as he walked up to the duo.

"Thanks, Dad. I think my body got used to times three," Johnny said as he stretched. "What _really_ got me is that my trench coat is still in perfect condition." It indeed was.

"Your mother made it herself, y'know. I'm betting that's her witchcraft."

Thomas, and company, jumped down to congratulate the fighters. "I can't believe that you two made a JoJo's Bizarre Adventure reference like that," he remarked.

"Believe it!" Nora shouted while pumping a fist out.

" _And_ a Naruto reference!"

Nora and Johnny both laughed and high-fived each other. Neither realized that they still had Dust energy in them.

Thankfully, the resulting explosion was small. Thomas, Sam, Eric, Team RWBY and Team JNPR all stood there, covered in dust. And thank God for Professor Goodwitch and her Telekinesis semblance.

When everything was back in place, Goodwitch looked at the two perps on the floor, who looked up sheepishly, also covered in dust. "Children," she started, "please think twice before touching each other," she finished while pushing her glasses up.

While Yang complained about Goodwitch's statement, Teams JNPR, RWBY, and JEST were all laughing their asses off, save for Thomas.

"That's what you get!" he said to the pair on the floor.

"Shut up!" Johnny said, laughing as well.

"Calm down, kids. Go to wherever you're supposed to go now," Adrian chuckled as he motioned for the kids to leave.

"Wait a moment," Goodwitch called them back. She was on her scroll, and was talking to someone. "You want me to send them to the main entrance?" She whispered into the scroll, the three teams looking on in confusion. "Very well." She hung up and diverted her attention to the Hunters-to-be. "Team JEST, you are to report to the front entrance for your next mission. The headmaster is waiting for you."

 **(x)**

 **S/N: And that ending statement sets the premise for Chapters 9 & 10\. Once again, sorry for rushing the past few chapters, but I really want to get to work on the next two chapters.**

 **A/N: And as always, Read & Review!**

 **S/N: Till next time!**


	9. Chapter 9: A Grimm Task

**Team JEST**

 **Chapter 9: A Grimm Task**

 **S/N: Around the time this was released, Chapters 19 & 20 of the "Tri-Blade Alliance", over on Arctic's page, was released. Go read that, and please be sure to give him any love you can spare!  
**

 **A/N: Like last time; wish we owned RWBY.**

 **(x)**

"There you are," Ozpin calmly said as the team he called (finally) came to the main entrance. By the looks of them, they ran all the way.

"Sorry, professor," Johnny got out while he was trying to catch his breath, "but we could've used more of a heads up."

"No matter. I assume that you know the drill, Johnny?" Ozpin calmly handed Johnny a scroll, from which he peered over the mission list. Johnny found one that caught his eye, and he accepted it upon reading the extra information. Ozpin took the scroll back, and nodded in approval. "This mission will certainly test your skills not only as individuals, but as a team. Good choice, Johnny."

Johnny nodded. He turned to his teammates, and told them, "Great news, guys. I picked out a mission where we can actually _kill_ things, this time."

Thomas nodded, and Sam and Eric displayed similar signs of approval. The team's leader turned back to Ozpin, who had been drinking from his mug during their short chat. After he finished, he told the team, "The Hunter you will be shadowing for this mission is Adrian Rogers."

"Let's go, kids!" As if on cue, Adrian called to them from their designated airship.

The team smiled, and walked over to their father. "What mission did you select, Johnny?" Thomas asked out of curiosity.

"We have to go investigate this infestation of creatures of Grimm in the Jade Woods. Then, we have to eradicate the source." Johnny answered.

"So what you're saying is…" Sam started with a smile on her face.

"Yep. This mission is literally shoot first, ask questions later."

"Nice!" Eric pumped his fist in the air.

"Let's go," Adrian repeated. The family of Hunters sat down in their seats as the airship took off.

 **(x)**

"Hey, Dad?" Eric asked uncertainly.

"Yeah, son?"

"Why isn't the airship touching the ground?"

"The pilot doesn't want to take any chances with the Grimm down there."

"Then how do we land?" Johnny asked.

"We improvise. Leaders first." Adrian motioned out the open side of the airship.

Johnny groaned as he stood by. After a second of self-preparation, he jumped. Soon, Eric followed. Then Sam. Then Thomas. And finally, Adrian. "What's the plan, o fearless leader?!" Thomas shouted against the wind.

Johnny racked his brain, thinking of a solution, until memories of a video game they all played before ran through his head. "Tommy, Zero Gravity! On my mark!" The family kept falling, Thomas getting ready to activate his semblance when Johnny commanded. "...NOW!" Instinctively, Thomas tucked his body in, and activated his semblance. From his right wrist, a burst of energy emerged until it formed a gravity field around him, encasing himself and his family in it. All the while, a sort of whooshing sound came out, and everyone was falling slower. They landed with their feet hitting the forest floor, with afterimages protruding. Once they all landed safely, Thomas deactivated his semblance, and dusted himself off. Johnny got his attention, and told him, "You know, if we had hoverboards like in that game we used to play, that scene would have been _perfect_."

"Eh, give me time. I'll see what I can do for the next time," Thomas shrugged.

They were interrupted by a growling sound from the forest. Johnny looked towards Eric, who nodded in understanding. Eric looked into the forest, and created two clones. He sent the clones into the forest, towards the growling sound. After about 15 minutes, the clones came back, and Eric absorbed them. "There's a whole lot of Grimm in there, but they're not attracted to us. They seem to be heading to the center of the forest."

"Follow the sounds, Dad?" Sam looked up to her father.

Adrian nodded. "Follow the sounds." With that, the Rogers family snuck into the woods, staying together as they followed the growls and the roars.

 **(x)  
Later...**

Having reached the center of the forest, the Rogers' family poked their heads out from their hiding spots, and their eyes widened at what they saw. "Holy…" Thomas started.

"Shit…" Adrian continued.

"Exclamation mark!" Johnny finished in a whisper.

"Guys? This isn't an infestation…" Sam worriedly started.

"...it's a motherfucking hive!" Eric finished for his sister.

Indeed, it was, as there were countless numbers of Beowolves, Boarbatusks, even a Beringle! And still, the number of Grimm did not seem to stop. All seemed to be following a single Nuckelavee Grimm, and it was a terrifying sight. It was a horse-like creature with an equine main body and a humanoid creature that seems fused with it. It has long arms that it drags along the ground, with forelegs shaped like claws and hooved hindlegs that leave a characteristical hoofprint. **(S/N: I copied the Nuckelavee Grimm's description from the RWBY Wiki.)**

"What do we do, Dad?" Johnny asked his father. Sure, they had killed creatures of Grimm before, but certainly not this many!

"We saw the source of the infestation. Now, we go back to the airship, and report to Ozpin what we found. With any luck, he'll send us backup."

"That backup will have to get here _very_ quickly then," Eric warned as he looked up.

Following his example, the rest of Rogers' family looked up slowly. To their shock and horror, a giant Nevermore was perched on a branch over them, and was currently looking down on them, tilting its head sometimes. Eventually, it arced its wings as it roared at the family. "RUN!" Adrian yelled as the family turned to run. Unfortunately (and unsurprisingly), the roar of the Nevermore caught the attention of literally every creature of Grimm in the center of the forest. The Grimm gave chase as the family ran for their lives.

 **(x)**

 **Meanwhile…**

Ruby hummed cheerfully while she and her teammates took notes for Team JEST to copy when they finished their mission.

When the bell signaling the end of class rang, she packed up her bags and prepared to enter her next class. "Ruby Rose," Professor Oobleck called to her. Ruby made a sound of slight fear and (reluctantly) turned to face the Professor. "Professor Ozpin has called for you," Oobleck spoke in his usual fast-paced tone.

"Right," Ruby nodded. She made her way to Ozpin's office and met the headmaster there. "Sir? You called for me?"

"Yes," Ozpin turned to face Team RWBY's leader. "Team JEST is in danger."

 **(x)**

 _Shit!_

 _Shit!_

 _Shit!_

 _Shit!_

 _FUCK!_

These thoughts were running through the members of Team JEST and their father, respectively, as they ran from the seemingly endless horde of Grimm, the Nuckelavee at the head.

As one, the family ran, jumping over roots, swinging on tree branches while propelling themselves with the momentum, et cetera. Eventually, Thomas altered the gravity so that everyone was running at a much faster pace without wasting any more of their stamina. All the way, they had to dodge numerous Beowolves, Ursai, and even had to duck under the Nevermore's talons.

Eventually, the family made it back to their airship, which held a surprise for them.

"BONZAI!" Ruby yelled as she jumped from the airship and landed on the Nevermore. When she was on the wings, she swiftly took out her scythe and severed the Nevermore's wings, eliciting a shriek of pain from the creature.

"Ruby, wait!" Weiss yelled as she jumped from the airship after Ruby. When she was halfway down, she activated her Glyphs, and landed safely, then catapulted herself towards a Beowolf, cutting through it with ease.

Without a word, Blake jumped down after Weiss. She threw her whip, and swung herself onto an Ursa when it lodged itself into a tree. When Blake landed on the Ursa's back, she pulled her sword back towards her and, when she turned it into her sword, stabbed it in the head of the Ursa, killing it instantly. She jumped off landed gracefully next to Eric, throwing him a smile as he watched in awe.

Lastly, Yang, shades on and a smile on her face, jumped down. When she was a couple of so meters above the group, she propelled herself forward into the trees. Everyone was silent. "When do you think she'll realize she overshot it?" Johnny asked out loud.

Ruby, having landed safely, counted down from three on her fingers. When all fingers were down, a Beowolf was punched through a tree. From the direction where the creature came from, Yang was standing with her arm outstretched, as if she had punched something. Sheepishly, she rubbed the back of her head as she said, "Sorry. Got a bit carried away. Are we late?"

Thomas smirked. "Right on time, Team RWBY. But, how did you―"

"Professor Ozpin told us. Apparently, he was examining your progress through your scrolls," Ruby explained.

"That's Ozpin for ya," Adrian said, shaking his head while smiling. Their attention was drawn back to the creatures of Grimm when they heard an Alpha Beowolf roar at them, and as countless Beowolves charged the Hunter group. "Get ready, kids!" Everyone drew their weapons and got ready to fight.

The result was a complete bloodbath: rose petals marked Ruby's kills, Silhouettes left craters due to the Burn Dust they were powered up with, headless Grimm were encased in ice, and so on. Thomas put a hand to the ground and altered the gravity to make the Grimm float in the air. This setup allowed Ruby to corkscrew through the monsters, making for a lot of petals in the air, and when Thomas restored the gravity, he and his girlfriend exchanged a high-five.

However, the Grimm wouldn't stop coming. "Holy crap, how many of these things _are_ there?" Johnny asked, exhausted from the endless bloodshed.

"Too many to fight all at once!" Adrian grunted as he threw a Grimm back.

"Any bright ideas?!" Eric shouted. "We're open to suggestions!"

After Johnny decapitated another Beowolf, an incredibly _stupid_ idea came to him. He reached into his jacket's pockets and pulled out several Burn Dust crystals. "I never tried absorbing five before," he mused.

He felt a hand grab his arm. He turned to see Thomas looking to him with a stern look on his face. "Don't. You have no idea what that'll do to you."

Johnny pulled his arm away from his brother. "It's called field testing. Besides, it could be our only way."

"I don't care. I don't want to run the risk of losing my brother. Not as long as I can help it."

"What's going on guys?" Eric asked as he and Sam came over to the bickering brothers. Thankfully, Adrian and Team RWBY agreed to buy their team time to come up with a new strategy.

"Johnny had the bright idea to try to absorb _five_ Dust at once," Thomas explained, his glare never leaving Johnny.

" _Five?! Are you nuts?!"_ Sam yelled, drawing Yang's attention.

"I have to!" Johnny sternly said. "I'm prepared to take the risk if it means that you guys'll live!"

"Guys? What's going on?" Yang asked as she approached the feuding family.

"I'm going to absorb five Burn Dust crystals, and end this," Johnny said as he stepped towards the Grimm.

Yang grabbed his arm, stopping the Hunter-to-be in his tracks. "If you think for _one second_ that I'm letting you go, you've got another thing coming."

"Let me go, Yang."

"No. We're in this together."

Smiling, Johnny put the Dust crystals back in his pocket, and placed a hand on Yang's shoulder. Under his breath, he quietly said, "This is why I love you."

Yang leaned closer to hear what he said. "What?"

"I'm sorry." After that, Johnny swiftly chopped her on the neck, making sure to hit a pressure point to knock her out. He didn't apply enough force to kill her, and he caught her in his arms as she fell. He walked over to Thomas with Yang still in his arms. Johnny held out Yang to his brother. "Get her, and everyone else out of here. Now."

Thomas took Yang, and slung her over his shoulder. Thomas called to everyone, "Fall back! Don't ask questions!" The rest of Team RWBY, as well as Adrian, looked at each other uncertainly, then fell back to the rest of the group. Thomas looked back towards his brother, who had taken out his five Dust crystals again. "We're not leaving you."

Johnny turned back to Thomas, Sam, and Eric, and told them, in an authoritative tone, "I am your leader first, and your brother second. Now, get out of here! That's an order!"

Sam and Eric looked to each other, then to Johnny, before they turned and left. Thomas, Yang still over his shoulder and unconscious, said, "Promise me you'll at least make it back to us safely."

Johnny, without a word, took his swords off his back and gave them to Thomas, who took them. He turned back around, Dust crystals in his hand. "No promises."

"I know," Thomas sighed as he turned around as well. "I just wanted to say it." With that, he walked to the center of the group, and altered their gravity so they were floating in the air, contained in his gravity field. They flew up to the airship, and, once Johnny heard the ship close, he began absorbing the crystals.

"I'm sorry, everyone," he told himself. The first Dust crystal was absorbed. Then the second. Third. Fourth. Then the fifth. Johnny could feel the heat coursing through his veins, and it _burned_. As he activated his semblance, he screamed in pain as he felt all of the heat in his body expel from him, creating a massive heat wave, or maybe something more.

 **(x)**

 **On the airship…**

"Tommy, what's going on?" Ruby demanded. "What's Johnny doing down there?!"

"Nothing smart, I'll tell you that much," Thomas responded as he placed Yang in a seat.

Everyone else was watching their friend/brother as he began absorbing the crystals. "Oh my god, he's really doing it!" Sam whispered.

"Doing what?" The group turned back to see Yang having stirred awake. When she realized what, she got up from her seat and ran to the window.

They watched in horror as Johnny screamed in pain.

They watched in horror as they saw the creatures of Grimm approach him, with the Nuckelavee turning and disappearing.

They watched in horror as Johnny blew himself up, and the forest with him.

"JOHNNY!" All present on the airship yelled with tears streaming down their faces, most notably on Team JEST, Adrian, and Yang.

 **To be continued…**

 **(x)**

 **S/N: I gotta say, I had a** _ **lot**_ **of fun writing this chapter. Next one won't be as action-packed, but definitely more romance.**

 **A/N: As always, Read & Review!**

 **S/N: Till next time!**


	10. Chapter 10: Heated Recovery

**Team JEST**

 **Chapter 10: Heated Recovery**

 **S/N: Let's get right into the chapter.**

 **A/N: We don't own RWBY.**

 **(x)**

"Did you find anything?!" Yang called to Thomas as the two teams and the Hunter searched.

"No!" Thomas called back. "Where are you?" Thomas whispered to himself this time.

"Guys? Just a thought. If Johnny blew up, shouldn't his body be gone?" Weiss questioned.

"That's the thing. What he did was more of a heat wave. It's got as much power as an explosion, but his body won't disappear, since it was the source," Eric answered as he kept looking.

"Then where's his body?" Blake asked.

"That's why we're looking," Sam responded.

As Thomas kept searching, he was hit with a sudden flashback. He remembered something his mom taught him when he was younger.

 **(x)**

 **7 years earlier...**

" _Thomas, sweetie," Lana started as her son followed her. "Your dad told me that you unlocked your semblance."_

" _Yep!" 10-year-old Thomas said cheerfully. "I can manipulate gravity." The last two words were said slowly, as he was still just a child and didn't know how to pronounce those words._

 _Lana laughed genuinely at her son's tiny mess-up. "Well, sweetie, do you want me to teach you something?"_

" _Can I get a cookie after we're done?"_

" _Of course. Now pay attention. This is_ very _important." As soon as he heard that, Thomas leaned in closer. "Everyone in the world has their own unique gravitational field. What that means is...well, take a look at me. Concentrate."_

 _Thomas did. Once he did, he could clearly see a field around his mom. "Wow, Mom! You have a field around you!"_

" _Exactly sweetie. Everyone has their own field. Follow me." Thomas and Lana walked through the house for a couple more minutes. Finally, they reached the living room, where Johnny, Eric, Adrian, and Sam were playing and laughing. "You see them, Tommy?" Thomas nodded. "Good. Concentrate and memorize their specific fields of gravity. If you don't, then no cookie for you." Thomas' eyes widened at this threat, and he got to work._

 _After some time, Thomas said, "Done._ Now _may I get a cookie?" He looked up with puppy-dog eyes at his mom, who tried her best to resist. Finally, she broke, and nodded, signaling that he may get a cookie. "Yay! You're the best, Mom! I love you!" Thomas gave his mother a hug that she returned while chuckling._

" _I love you, too, sweetie."_

 **(x)**

 **Now...**

 _Please let this work!_ Thomas thought as he concentrated. He opened his eyes and saw the gravitational fields of everyone around him.

He saw Yang's.

He saw Sam's.

He saw Eric's.

He saw Johnny's.

He saw Ruby's.

He saw Wei―

He backtracked. "I found him!" Thomas yelled as he ran towards Johnny's gravitational field. Without hesitation, the others followed him.

When they finally reached Thomas, they saw him standing next to a body. When they got closer, they saw Thomas kneeling over the body, checking for a pulse. "Is he alive?" Adrian asked, worried for his son.

"He's alive," Thomas confirmed, the worried look never leaving his face, "but he's not breathing!"

Eric and Sam rushed forward and knelt next to their brother. Eric placed a hand on Johnny's forehead, and immediately retracted it. "His skin is literally burning!" When Sam tried, she felt a searing pain course through her palm, equivalent to a second-degree burn. When she examined her hand, however, there was no trace of any burns.

Yang wiped her forehead. "Is it me, or did it just get hotter in here?"

"You're right," Blake said, wiping her forehead as well. "It's like a sauna."

"Kids, did your mother ever teach you any resuscitation techniques?" Adrian asked seriously.

"Dad, I know it _could_ be our only choice, but we are _not_ giving him mouth-to-mouth," Thomas replied.

"Wait, Tommy!" Sam called her brother as she remembered something. "Remember that game we played, and where one of the main characters died? What did the hero do?"

"...Sam, get out two Lightning Dust crystals, now!" Thomas instructed, catching onto Sam's plan. "Your idea is so crazy, it just may work!"

Sam reached in her coat pocket and pulled out two Lightning Dust crystals, as Thomas had instructed. She rubbed them together, producing a spark. "Clear!" Sam yelled as she pressed them against Johnny's chest.

When she did so, a spark emerged from the Dust, and entered Johnny's body.

No response.

She zapped him again.

Still no response.

Again.

No response.

Again.

No response.

"WAKE UP, DAMN YOU!" Sam shouted, tears streaming down her face as she slammed her fists into his chest, sending one last shock through his body as the Dust crystals shattered.

Johnny woke up with a gasp, shocking everyone there. He got up on all fours, and began coughing. He groaned, "Next time, don't punch me, please."

Happy, and angry, Thomas slapped his brother upside the head. "Don't pull shit like that ever again, and maybe we'll see!"

Johnny struggled to get up, and was helped by Eric and Yang. He motioned to them to let him go. "I'm fine, guys." Johnny walked a couple of steps forward―before he stumbled and fell.

Adrian was quick to rush to his side, catching his son as Johnny passed out.

 **(x)**

"Would someone care to explain why the _hell_ my son is in a coma?!" Lana shouted at the Huntsmen-in-training.

"He had the bright idea to absorb _five_ Burn Dust crystals," Adrian explained.

Lana sighed as she pinched the bridge of her nose. "I figured as much."

"Wait, did you say coma?" Thomas asked.

"I didn't stutter, sweetie. The heat from the Dust he absorbed was too much for his premature body to handle. The rise in temperature caused him to go into brief cardiac arrest, at least until you kids revived him. Tell me, did you feel any heat around him?"

"Yeah, we did. And when Sam and Eric touched his forehead, they said he was burning," Yang informed.

"That must have been the heat expelled from his body when he had his meltdown," Lana mused.

"How long before he wakes up?" Ruby asked, concerned for her friend.

"A day. Maybe two," Lana answered. "I can only allow four visitors at a time, not including Hunters. So if you three are staying," Lana looked at her (awake) children, "you four," she turned to Team RWBY, "can leave or one of you can stay."

"I'll stay," Yang immediately said.

"Why?" Thomas questioned.

"I just want to, okay?!" Yang huffed as she crossed her arms and looked in the other direction. Everyone noticed the small blush on her face, but decided not to call her out on it.

"I'll get some chairs set up for you four. Since it's Saturday tomorrow, feel free to stay the night," Lana smiled as she went to get some extra chairs.

"Thanks, Mom!" Thomas called.

"You're the best!" Eric and Sam called after their mom.

 **(x)**

 **Two days later: 12:00 AM, Sunday…**

Johnny stirred awake in the bed he was in. He opened his eyes and saw his coat, fully repaired after it got burned during his blow-up. He looked to his left and saw Thomas and Eric, both by his bed and sleeping in chairs. He looked to his right and saw Sam and (surprisingly) Yang, also sitting in chairs and sleeping.

"Good to see you're finally awake, Johnny." Johnny jumped a bit when he heard a voice talk to him. He looked around a bit more, and finally saw Ozpin casually standing in the shadows and sipping his cocoa. "I wouldn't worry about making too much noise. They've been up all night yesterday, and have fallen asleep hours ago. They wanted to be awake for the moment _you_ woke up, but the need to sleep won."

Johnny nodded. He looked down at his hands as he said, "You know what happened, right?"

Ozpin nodded, and stepped closer so he was at Johnny's bedside. "Your scroll was fried, and your coat was in ruins. Your father got you a new scroll, your brothers and sister transferred all of your data to the new scroll, and your mother repaired your coat. All the while, Yang never left your side."

Johnny tilted his head in confusion. "Why? I mean, I get why my family did what they did, but why did Yang?"

"Isn't it obvious? What you feel for her, she feels for you."

"Are you sure?"

"I've already told Ruby this, Johnny. I've made countless mistakes, perhaps more than any man, woman, and child. But that doesn't necessarily mean that I make mistakes all the time. Besides, her feelings for you are clear."

"If you say so, Professor. And thanks for this."

"For what? I was never here." With that, Ozpin left the room.

Johnny looked back at his allies, and smiled. _They really care that much for me, huh?_ With that last thought in his head, the recovering team leader let genuine sleep overtake his body.

 **(x)**

"Your vitals are all right, Johnny," Lana informed as she looked into her scroll. "You don't seem to be very affected by what happened."

"Should I be?" Johnny asked as he sat up. His mother, while he was sleeping, sent his siblings and Yang away to eat some breakfast, allowing her time to check up on him.

"No, now that all the heat has been removed from your body."

"Should I still drink plenty of fluids, Doc?"

"It's recommended, yes." Johnny and Lana both chuckled at this inside joke.

"Am I clear to go, now? Not that I don't love you, but I've been cooped up in here for too damn long."

"Yes, sweetie, you're medically cleared to leave. I would recommend that you wait here for your friends."

"Can I at least get ready to leave?"

"Your clothes and weapons are over in my office. Let me know when you're done changing." Johnny nodded and got up from his bed.

When he stepped in Lana's office, his clothes were laid out for him. First, he put on his red short-sleeves shirt (after removing the hospital gown), then his black pants and belt (underwear was left on). He put his trench coat on, and slipped on his gauntlets over the sleeves, and slipped his fingers through the fingerless gloves that were attached to the gauntlets. He strapped his swords on his back, and sheathed his Waypoint at his waist. He looked over to where his weapons were and saw his new scroll. He took and placed it in his pocket after making sure everything was in order.

When he stepped out, he looked over to his bed and saw that no one was there. He left the room, and was greeted by several shocked faces.

Before Team RWBY, Sam, Thomas, or Eric could say anything, Johnny motioned for them to follow him. Silently, they did, and the group kept walking until they reached the Emerald Forest (they had a run-in with Ozpin, who knew where they were heading and gave them access). Once they were inside it, Johnny turned to face the group and motioned for someone to talk.

"WHAT THE HELL/HECK WERE YOU THINKING?!" Everyone shouted (Weiss and Ruby shouted the 'HECK' part).

Johnny winced. He was _not_ expecting them all to speak. First, his siblings spoke. "Do you have any idea how worried we were?!" Thomas shouted at his leader.

"You can't just pull shit like that and expect us _not_ to yell at you!" Eric crossed his arms in his rage.

"We don't want to lose you, as a leader _or_ as a brother!" Sam cried.

Johnny, after they finished what they said, replied with, "I'm sorry, I won't do that again. It was the only option at the time, and I am all but counting my blessings that I even survived."

This seemed to please Eric and Thomas, as they both pulled their brother into hugs, both of which he returned. Johnny turned to Sam, who was looking sad. She asked, "Did you really mean it when you said that you were our leader first and our brother second?"

Johnny pulled his sister into a hug and placed a brotherly kiss on her forehead. "Let me rephrase that: I am a Rogers first and Team JEST leader second. Better?"

Sam smiled and returned the hug. "Better."

After a couple of seconds, the two pulled apart. Johnny turned to Team RWBY, and motioned that it was their turn.

First, Ruby tackled him with a hug, causing him to stumble, but not fall. "I thought we almost lost you, please don't do that ever again, you're the one of the first new friends I made here, it would get _really_ boring if you died or left, and I _really_ want a cookie right now!" Ruby said without stopping for breath.

Johnny returned the hug as he said, making sure to take breaths in between, "I'm not going anywhere anytime soon, I'm never going to do _that_ again, you were the first new friend I made here, my meltdown was bigger than yours, and ask Tommy for a cookie." Ruby smiled as she tightened her grip on her fellow leader, letting go afterwards.

Weiss followed up next, and she pointed a finger at Johnny. "Do you have any idea how reckless that was?! You could've blown us out of the sky if you weren't careful! You had us worried so much, and God only knows what kind of reckless stuff you'll pull next ti―"

Johnny interrupted Weiss as he pulled her into a hug. "I'm not going anywhere anytime soon, Ice Queen. That's a promise I intend on keeping."

"Good. And don't touch me." Despite this, Weiss returned the hug.

After they let go, Johnny turned to face Blake, who proceeded to smack him upside the head. "Don't do that next time," she sternly told him.

"Yes, ma'am," Johnny replied as he rubbed the spot she smacked.

Blake smiled and surprisingly pulled Johnny into a hug. "I enjoy our time in the library."

Johnny hesitantly returned the hug. "Me too, Tomcat."

"Don't call me that ever again."

"Sorry."

Johnny broke out of the hug, and turned to face the last member of Team RWBY. He wasn't expecting to be punched hard enough to be sent through a couple trees. He slammed against a third tree hard, and fell to his knees.

"Yang, what the hell?! Are you _trying_ to put in him back in a coma?!" Thomas yelled as he held Yang back.

"I just might! He deserves it!" Yang seethed as she broke free from Thomas.

Thomas resorted to using his semblance to hold Yang back. Yang resorted to using _her_ semblance to break free once more, knocking Thomas back in the process.

Johnny had gotten back up and was holding his arm in pain. His eyes widened when he saw Yang approach him in her enraged state, her Aura knocking back anyone that tried to approach her or hold her back. He braced himself for the second blow. He did not expect her to slowly calm down as she approached him, and he _certainly_ did not expect her to grab his face and pull him into a kiss. The two remained locked that way for several seconds, until Yang pulled away. She pointed a finger at him as she said, "I swear, if you pull something stupid like that ever again, I'll be sure to break some ribs."

Johnny, still taken aback by her sudden kiss, chuckled nervously. "S-Sorry. I won't do it again."

"Good. Now shut up and hug me." Johnny pulled Yang into a hug, which she gladly returned. "What did you say to me before you so rudely knocked me out?"

"'I'm sorry'?

"Before that."

"'This is why I love you'?"

"Now say it again."

"This is why I love you, Yang Xiao Long."

"Good. I love you too, Johnny Rogers."

"What about us?" Ruby got their attention. Johnny rolled his eyes and motioned for them to come over. When they did, he opened his arms wider for a group hug, which everyone took part in. "I love you all."

"We love you too, you idiot," Sam laughed.

"Although," Johnny mused with a mischievous smile on his face, "I _could_ try four Dust next ti―"

"NO," everyone said sternly in unison.

"But―"

"NO."

"You guys are no fun."

 **End of Volume 1...**

 **(x)**

 **S/N: Volume 2 is going to feature some new villains, and a hell of a lot more action, romance, and humor. It may take a while, though. School is tough.**

 **A/N: And as always, Read & Review!**

 **S/N: Till next time!**


	11. Chapter 11: Best Day Ever!

**Team JEST**

 **Volume 2 Start**

 **Chapter 11: Best Day Ever!**

 **S/N: Welcome back, everyone, and I hope you enjoyed the previous chapter! Since high school is** _ **way**_ **too unpredictable, it's hard to say when I'll update, so it's going to be sporadic for now.**

 **A/N: RWBY. Something we don't own, among many others.**

 **(x)**

"What'cha doin?" Yang asked Blake, leaning in closer to see what she was reading.

"Nothing," Blake replied, closing her book. "Just going over notes from last semester."

Yang caught a grape thrown at her with her mouth. "Lame!" she and Johnny both said, with the latter resting his head on the table.

"You still sleepy?" Thomas asked his brother as Eric and Sam talked with Blake and Weiss.

"Yeah." Thomas patted Johnny's back in sympathy.

When Yang caught another grape―courtesy of Nora―Ruby came in and slammed a binder down on the table, right over where Johnny's head was, before the latter picked himself up out of reflex. "Are you _trying_ to kill me?" Johnny anxiously asked the young Huntress-in-training.

Ruby cleared her throat, ignoring the aggravated Roger sibling. "Sisters! Friends! Weiss…"

"Hey!"

"Four score and seven minutes ago, I had a dream."

"This should be interesting," Thomas muttered before catching a red grape in his mouth, giving a thumbs up to Nora as she smiled giddily; apparently, she was happy that Thomas was playing her game along with Yang.

"A dream that one day," Ruby continued, making dramatic hand gestures to fit her speech, "the eight of us would come together, four as a team, and the other as friends―"she winked at Thomas, who smiled back before catching another fruit―"and have the most fun anyone has ever had, _ever_!"

"Did you steal my binder?" Weiss asked, staring at Ruby with her usual sour expression.

"I am not a crook."

"What are you talking about?" Blake and Eric asked in unison.

"I'm talking about kicking off the semester with a bang!" she pointed to Blake.

"I always kick my semesters with a _Yang_! Ehh!? Guys? Am I right?" Everyone in the table groaned or cringed at Yang's awful pun, except for Thomas and Sam, who were chuckling silently.

When an apple was thrown at Yang's head, she snapped out of her surprised state, growled, and was about to throw the apple back when Johnny grabbed her arm to stop her. "Not worth it," he simply stated. Yang threw the apple anyway.

"Look, guys," Ruby spoke again, "it's been a good two weeks, and between more exchange students arriving and the tournament at the end of the year, our second semester is going to be great!

"But classes start back up tomorrow. Which is why I've taken the time to schedule a series of wonderful events for us today."

"I don't know whether to be proud or scared of what you have in store," Weiss said.

"I'm bordering on both," Sam said.

"I don't know," Blake spoke up again. "I think I might sit this one out."

"Sit out or not," Weiss said to the Faunus girl, "Ithink that whatever we do on this last day before the semester, we should do it as a team, _and_ as friends." Weiss stood up and was about to speak again―but was immediately interrupted when a pie was thrown at her face, causing everyone, including Johnny, to stare in shock.

Despite her pointing at Ren, it was clear that Nora was the culprit, as Jaune and Pyrrha were staring in shock, while Ren was holding his head in exasperation.

 **(x)**

"Man, that's harsh," the light-blue-haired teen said to Sun as they walked to the cafeteria.

"So then we were fighting side by side and she was super fast and he was amazing to have as a partner and I threw a banana at a guy, which sounds gross, but it was awesome!" Sun said, recounting his, Blake, and Eric's battle with the White Fang.

"Nice!" the other teen smiled.

"Right? And the best part is they're both Faunus!" Sun immediately covered his mouth, and informed his friend, "But the girl being a Faunus―that's a secret, okay?!"

"Got it. And what about the other guy?"

"Oh, everyone knows he's a Faunus. Just be sure to stay on the good sides of him and his family."

"And who're his family?"

"I...dunno. I'll ask him later. And the secret is _not a_ 'I'm gonna tell Scarlet the second Sun turns his back' secret! I'm talking _secret_ secret."

"Woah, chill out, man, okay? I got it."

"You better."

"Pfft."

"I just don't wanna screw this up, ya know? The people here are the coolest, no offense to you guys." While Sun was talking, various food items (and Jaune) were thrown at the windows―a clear indication of a food fight.

"None taken," the other guy said, both completely oblivious to the mayhem inside the cafeteria.

"Okay, they're just in here," Sun said, motioning to the cafeteria door. "I'm really excited for you to meet them. So be cool, okay? You're gonna be cool, right?"

"Dude," Sun's friend scoffed as he crossed his arms and smiled; for an even greater effect, his teeth gave a brief shine.

"Good point," Sun nodded. When they walked in, Sun was staring around with a smile on his face, while the other guy was staring around in shock.

"FOOD FIGHT!" everyone screamed as the vast majority ran out of the doors, leaving only Teams RWBY, JNPR, and JEST.

 **(x)**

On top of all the piled-up tables, Nora cackled maniacally, her teammates on various tables that were a couple levels below her. "I'm queen of the castle! I'm queen of the castle!"

Ruby stomped on a table, clutching a milk carton in her hand, and pointing at Team JNPR. "Justice will be quick! Justice will be painful! It will be...delicious!" Ruby clutched her fist, destroying the milk carton, and raised it in the air with the last word, her team following suit with their own war cries.

"Not so fast, Team RWBY!" A bone was thrown at the carton Ruby was holding, and they watched as it lodged into the wall. Growling, Ruby turned to see Johnny, now fully awake and having the posture of having thrown something. He pointed at Ruby. "If anyone's gonna slay _that_ dragon," he pointed at Nora's team, "it's gonna be _us_!" Johnny pointed his thumb at himself.

"YEAH!" Thomas, Sam, and Eric shouted as they pumped their fists in the air. Eric picked up some whistling in the air, then turned to face their oncoming threat. "Watermelons!"

"Tommy! Peashooters!" Johnny commanded as he looked at their threat.

"Yang! Turkey!" Ruby called at the same time.

"On it!" Thomas and Yang called as they vaulted over to their aforementioned weapons. Thomas grabbed the two cans of peas, then popped them open. Yang, however, rolled over the turkeys and picked them up, ready to punch away the melons. Using his semblance, Thomas shot out several peas, each pea shattering whatever watermelon they came into contact with, while Yang knocked back the melons.

"Sam," Johnny got his sister's attention. He picked up two baguettes, and modified them so they had crescent shapes. He handed them over to Sam, who took them giddily. "Help him out."

Sam vaulted over Thomas, and smashed away some melons, while Blake vaulted over Yang and helped her out. Once the four had finished knocking away the melons, Thomas chucked his pea cans at Jaune, who blocked them. Jaune couldn't deflect the turkeys that Yang had thrown at him, however. Pyrrha rolled out of the way, and picked up a baguette. Sam and Blake jumped in, and engaged Pyrrha in a fight.

"No holds barred!" Sam announced as she broke out of the three-way clash. She swiped at Blake's stomach, hitting true to her target, then blocked an oncoming strike from Pyrrha.

Just as Sam was about to retaliate, a baguette was stabbed through her (under her armpit), and she dropped her makeshift-crescent blades out of shock. She looked over her shoulder to see Blake with an evil smile on her face. "No holds barred," the "traitor" said as she pulled out her baguette. Sam dropped to her knees, then to the floor, her eyes closed as if she died.

"That was dirty, Blake," Pyrrha remarked as she got ready for another fight.

Blake shrugged as she got ready to fight. She blocked Pyrrha's oncoming strike with her two baguettes, then gracefully flipped over her opponent, dodging and weaving as Pyrrha attempted to land a hit on Blake. Eventually, Blake jumped into the air and threw one of her baguettes at Pyrrha, who deflected it. Pyrrha then dashed forward and knocked Blake as she was landing, breaking her own baguette in the process. She picked up the one that fell from Blake's hands, and chucked it at Yang, who managed to block it and another one before being hit by a third.

As Yang fell over, Johnny jumped over his falling girlfriend, then rushed at Pyrrha while Ruby was riding on a lunch tray on the table next to him. As Ruby knocked down Pyrrha by landing on her with the makeshift skateboard, Ren charged at Johnny, while Nora followed.

Ruby smirked as she backflipped, Weiss coming out from behind her leader. Johnny blocked Ren's punch, then retaliated with a punch of his own, knocking the boy into Nora. Weiss held a ketchup bottle, and, with all the power she had, she squeezed it towards the floor, somehow causing a massive ketchup slide. Ren slipped as he slid into some tables. Nora bounced off a table that flew back at her as a result (with Ren at the side) and grabbed a pipe from the ceiling. While she came down, she slammed both ends of her pipe into two watermelons. She landed, and got ready to fight. Johnny looked towards Weiss, who looked back. "Have fun, Ice Queen." With that, Johnny ran back to Thomas who was waiting for some more action so he could jump in.

Weiss growled at her friend's betrayal then turned to face Nora. As Nora was about to slam her makeshift hammer on Weiss, Ruby jumped in and took the blow, getting sent far back. Weiss picked up a swordfish as she got back to her feet, then launched herself at Nora, thrusting her sword. Nora got sent back, but landed on her feet, re-launching herself at Weiss. Nora and Weiss traded blows for a second, until Nora slammed Weiss in the stomach, sending her back with a pink impact circle. As Weiss crashed onto a pillar, breaking it, Ruby watched with wide eyes. Ruby then jumped to her friend's aid, catching her before she fell to the floor and as the pillar crashed behind them. "Weiss! Don't leave me! Weiss! No!" Ruby threw her head back as she screamed the last word.

Yang ran towards Ren, picking up two turkeys with her fists as she did so. Ren rolled over a table as he grabbed two celery sticks and ran towards Yang. Eric grabbed two chicken legs, vaulted over a table, and ran towards Yang and Ren. When the three met each other halfway, Eric blocked Yang's kick and Ren's celery stick with his chicken legs, looking back and forth between his opponents. Eventually, he broke out of the clash, and the three engaged each other in a three-way duel. He blocked Yang's punches, then shifted his attention to Ren briefly, parrying his blows and retaliating with his own. After a couple more rounds of this, he turned to Yang and maneuvered his chicken legs into her hands, keeping them locked for a few moments, allowing the male Faunus to turn his attention to Ren. Swiftly, he blocked two of Ren's punches, then kicked him in the gut. Allowing his opponent no rest, Eric uppercutted Ren so he went high. Yang, having weaved her way out of the chicken legs, jumped high and knocked Ren down into a table, smashing it in the progress.

When she landed, she turned her attention to Eric, who was prepared to fight. Neither was prepared for when Nora came behind the duo and knocked Yang up high with her hammer. The force of the impact caused the watermelon to break apart, and caused Yang to fly through the ceiling. Immediately afterwards, Nora took advantage of Eric's distraction, and knocked him up the same way she did Yang, shattering her other watermelon. "SHIT!" Eric yelled as he was launched through the ceiling.

"ERIC!" Johnny and Thomas shouted. While Johnny rushed to face Nora, Thomas looked towards Pyrrha, who hit the ground with her palm, sending all of the soda cans towards him. Thomas responded by using his gravity to place two tables in front of him like a shield, blocking most of the cans. Eventually, the two prodigies were locked in a struggle for power with their semblances. Johnny crash landed next to his still-standing brother. "What now, O fearless leader?" Thomas asked him through gritted teeth, the exertion of pressure making him sweat.

"Thinking," Johnny responded through gritted teeth. "I've got it!" Johnny took out a Burn Dust crystal and absorbed its energy. With it, he and Ruby both dashed past Team JNPR, the force exerted making all of the tables and cans hit the poor team.

Once the dust settled, Johnny simply threw a baguette at his fellow leader, knocking her to the floor. "Still standing! We win!" Johnny cried triumphantly, raising his fists in the air.

"Yay," Thomas and Sam said, the former covered in various soda flavors and the latter picking herself up off the floor. Ruby pouted from her spot on the floor, but accepted Johnny's hand as he helped her up.

"I love those guys," Sun told his soda-covered friend, who merely gave him a glare in response. The two made way for Goodwitch and Adrian as the door opened. Glynda growled in frustration, and Adrian's eyes widened upon seeing the carnage that was formerly the mess hall.

Goodwitch stepped in front of the two and blocked whatever was going towards them with her semblance, then pushed it back with a wave of her riding crop. Along with that, all of the tables and the mess went back to the way it was prior to the food fight. Once everything was back in order, she pushed back her glasses as she said, "Children, please, do not play with your food."

The three teams stood sheepishly as they awaited their punishment, then looked at Nora in disgust while she burped. Adrian counted heads, then raised an eyebrow. "Aren't there supposed to be 12 of you? Where's your brother?"

Thomas and Johnny both looked up, then moved in opposite directions. Through the roof, Yang crashed between the brothers. After Yang fell in, Eric came through the same hole that Yang made, landing gracefully on his feet and falling into the stereotype that cats land on their feet. When he and Yang dusted themselves off, they both gave thumbs up to the watching professors.

"Just let it go," Ozpin told Glynda as he walked up to the group.

"They're supposed to be the defenders of the world," Goodwitch calmly replied.

"Someday. But right now, they're still children. So why not let them play the part? After all-" Ozpin turned and began to leave, "-it isn't a role they'll have forever."

"I'll take it from here, Glynda," Adrian placed a hand on his colleague's shoulder, who nodded in response. After Goodwitch and Ozpin left, Adrian turned to the guilty teams. "Between the," he did a quick head count and made sure to include Sun and his friend, "15 of us, who won?"

Everyone pointed at Team JEST, except for Eric and Yang, who looked at the team in surprise. "We did?" Eric asked.

"We'll tell you later," Johnny said.

"And who are you two?" Adrian turned to the two that didn't participate.

"I'm Sun Wukong, sir, and this is my teammate, Neptune Vasilias," the monkey Faunus gestured to himself, then to his soda-covered friend, who waved in response.

"Ah, yes. My son, Eric, told me a lot about you."

"Wait. Eric's _your_ son?" Sun asked incredulously.

"Yes, he is. Do you know who I am?"

"Of course! You're Adrian Rogers, you and your wife are some of the few humans that work as Faunus Rights activists, you're both legendary Hunters, _and_ you were members of the legendary Team TEAL! I'm such a huge fan!"

"Calm down, Sun. If you want an autograph, I'll give it to you later. Now get a move on. I assume that you all have plans _other_ than stand around all day and do nothing."

 **(x)**

Ah, the library. A place where one can sit back, relax, and unwind with a good book and hours of silence.

"YANG XIAO LONG!"

Sadly, that's not the case this time.

Team RWBY was playing _Remnant: The Game_ , while Team JNPR was reading at another table.

"PREPARE YOUR KINGDOM FOR BATTLE!" Ruby shouted, pointing a finger to her older sister, who sat opposite her.

"BRING IT ON!"

"I DEPLOY THE ATLESIAN AIR FLEET!"

Yang gasped.

"Looks like I get to fly right over your Ursai and attack your walls directly!" Ruby stated.

Yang gasped again. "You fiend!"

"And since Atlas is part of Mantle, my repair time only lasts one turn." Ruby chuckled smugly-then gasped as Yang held up a card.

"Pretty sneaky, sis, but you've just activated my trap card!"

Ruby squealed in nervousness.

"GIANT NEVERMORE!" She slammed the table with her fist, causing all pieces to bounce up a bit. "If I roll a seven or higher, Fatal Feathers will slice your fleet in two."

" _But_ if you roll a six or lower, the Nevermore will turn on your _own_ forces."

"That's just a chance I'm willing to take."

 **Meanwhile, at the other table…**

As stated earlier, Team JNPR was reading. While Ren was reading a large book, he turned a page over Nora's sleeping head, letting it rest where her head was. Jaune was reading a comic book, and Pyrrha was reading a textbook.

"HAH!"

"NOOOOOOOOO, MY FEARLESS SOLDIERS!"

"Eh, most of them were probably androids."

"Goodbye my friends…You will be avenged."

"Not until I draw my rewards, which are _doubled_ this round, thanks to the Mistral trade route!"

"Bah!"

"Oh! And what's this? The Smugglers of Wind Path!?"

"BAH! BAH, I SAY!

"Looks like I'm taking _two_ cards from your hand." Pyrrha took Jaune's comic and and handed him a textbook. Begrudgingly, Jaune began reading, while Pyrrha read the comic, smiling as she did so.

"HAVE YOU NO HEART!?" Ruby shouted.

 **Back at Team RWBY's table...**

"Nooo…" Ruby weakly cried out, her head on the table as she cried salty tears.

"Well, Weiss! It's your turn!" Yang cheerfully said to the confused Huntress-in-training.

"I have...absolutely no idea what's going on," Weiss stated as she stared at the cards in her hand.

"Look, it's easy," Yang said as she slid over to Weiss and put an arm on her shoulder. "You're playing as Vacuo, which means that all Vacuo-based cards come with a bonus!"

"That sounds dumb."

"See, you've got Sandstorm, Desert Scavenge-" Yang said as she organized the cards in Weiss' hands, "Oh! Oh! Resourceful Raider! See, now you can take Ruby's discarded air fleet-"

"Nooooo…" Ruby moaned as she continued crying her salty tears, her head still on the table.

"-and put it in _your_ hand!"

"Okay…?" Weiss said uncertainly.

"And since Vacuo warriors have an endurance boost against natural hazards," Yang continued, "you could use Sandstorm to disable _my_ ground troops _and_ simultaneously infiltrate my kingdom! Just know," Yang pointed a finger at Weiss as she began to slide back to her chair, "that I will _not_ forget this declaration of war!"

"And that means?" Weiss asked, still confused.

"You're just three moves away from conquering Remnant!" Ruby cried from her salty-tears position.

Weiss, after a second, stood up and began laughing evilly. "YES! FEAR THE ALMIGHTY POWER OF MY FORCES! COWER AS THEY PILLAGE THEIR HOMES AND WEEP AS THEY TAKE YOUR CHILDREN FROM YOUR VERY ARMS-!"

"Trap card," Yang said as she shoved a card in Weiss' face.

"Huh?" Weiss asked as she stared at the card.

Yang began shifting the pieces on the board, finally getting it to the way it should be as she said, "Your armies have been destroyed!"

Weiss slumped back down in her chair. "I hate this game of emotions we play!" Weiss complained as she cried her salty tears.

"Stay strong, Weiss!" Ruby said as she jumped into Weiss' arms. "We'll make it through this together."

"Shut up! Don't touch me!" Weiss cried as she hugged Ruby back.

"Alright, Blake, you're up!" Yang said as she stretched.

"Huh?" Blake got her head off of her hand.

"Hello, friends!" Johnny called as he and his siblings approached the two teams. "What's going o-?" He froze mid-speech as he saw the game that Team RWBY was playing. "...Is that _Remnant: The Game_?"

"Yup!" Yang cheerfully replied.

"You wanna sub in for me?" Blake asked.

"Oh! Um…I'm fine," Johnny hesitantly replied.

When they heard his tone, Thomas, Sam, and Eric looked at each other and smiled evilly. "Actually, Yang," Thomas started as he walked up next to Johnny, "when we were younger, we played this game all the time, and Johnny always won."

"What are you doing?" Johnny sternly asked his brother.

"His card deck is average, but he has one card that always lets him win. And Lady Luck _adores_ Johnny," Eric pitched in as he walked next to Johnny as well.

"Cease this behavior!" Johnny commanded to no avail.

"You should know," Sam whispered to a wide-eyed Yang, "that it physically pains Johnny to turn down a challenge of any kind. That includes this."

"I said cease!"

The three stepped back, chuckling mischievously, prompting Johnny to glare at them. Just as he turned to tell Yang that his siblings were joking, he took a step back when he saw Yang pointing a finger right at him. "I challenge you to a game of _Remnant_!" Yang triumphantly declared.

Johnny took a breath, then looked at his girlfriend. "Excuse me, sweetie." He turned around to his siblings and pulled them in close. "No words, in all of Remnant, can describe how much I _hate_ you three right now."

"We love you, too, Johnny!" Thomas smiled.

"Kick her ass!" Eric cheered.

"You can do it, Johnny!" Sam "supported" her brother.

Johnny merely growled as he let them go. He turned back to face an increasingly impatient Yang. "I would play with you, _but_ I left my card deck back in my room, and I forgot where I put it."

"Here it is!" A small deck box bounced off Johnny's head and landed on the table. Johnny turned his head to glare at Sam, who shrugged.

Seeing no way out, Johnny sighed as he sat down in the spot where Blake sat before. Thomas, Sam, Eric, and Blake pulled up chairs next to Team JNPR, and they each pulled out one box of kettle corn each, with three flavors in each box (unbuttered, buttered, and caramel). "This is going to be awesome!" Thomas whispered in glee. He offered some kettle corn to Ren, who took a couple of caramel ones.

"What's going on over there?" Jaune asked he looked up from his textbook.

"Yang's playing Johnny in a game of _Remnant_ ," Eric said as he ate his kettle corn.

"Hey, what happened to Ruby?" Thomas asked as he finally noticed his girlfriend hugging Weiss. He got up from his chair and walked over to the two. He looked closely at her face. "Tears?" He took some of Ruby's tears with his finger and licked it, his face slowly adopting a look of rage once the taste got on his tongue. " _Salty_ tears. You better win, Johnny," he whispered to himself as he walked back to his seat and grabbed the kettle corn. He took out another bucket of kettle corn and placed it between Pyrrha and Jaune, both of whom began eating.

Throughout all this, Johnny and Yang were shuffling their decks, and drew their hands. "You can go first," Yang said.

Johnny looked over his hand and grinned widely. That grin made Yang slightly nervous. "Your funeral. I summon...Barry Blade!"

"Barry Blade?!" Eric and Thomas yelled as they spat out their popcorn.

"Already?!" Sam exclaimed as she swallowed her kettle corn.

"Barry Blade?" Yang, Pyrrha, Jaune, and Ren asked as they tilted their heads to the side in confusion.

"Noooooo…" Ruby groaned weakly as she kept hugging Weiss for comfort.

"Barry Blade has a special ability that will make or break my chances of winning. If I roll a 10 or higher, your _entire_ deck, even the cards in your hand and on your field, will all go into the discard pile."

Yang snatched the card and began skimming, hoping to look for a loophole. Her eyes widened in glee when she found it. " _But_ if you roll a 9 or lower, Barry Blade will destroy _your_ entire deck, instead." Yang tossed the card back to Johnny, who caught it with ease.

"What's life without a little risk?" Johnny asked as he leaned over the table to glare at Yang, who responded in kind. He rolled a pair of dice in his hand, then tossed it, and the two broke their staring contest to see what landed.

The first die landed on a 5. The second landed on a 6. At that moment, Yang's entire world shattered. "Wha…?" She asked weakly.

"Vale wins!" Johnny triumphantly declared as he gathered his cards and put them back in his box.

"It's okay, Yang!" Weiss said as she hugged Yang.

"Yeah," Ruby sniffed as she hugged Yang as well. "We can make it through this together!"

"Shut up! I don't want to be a part of your club!" Yang said as she hugged the two and began crying salty tears.

"Hey, guys, can I play?" Jaune asked the gaming group as he walked up to them.

"I'm just about done, so…" Johnny said as he got up.

"Sorry, Jaune, but we already have four players," Yang said as she finished crying her salty tears and glared at Johnny. Johnny sighed as he sat back down.

"Besides," Weiss spoke, "this game requires a certain level of tactical cunning that I _seriously_ doubt you possess."

"Didn't you attack your own naval fleet two turns ago?" Ruby innocently asked.

"She did?" Johnny raised an eyebrow.

"Bring it on, ice queen," Jaune said, ignoring the two. "I'll have you know that I've been told that I am a natural born leader!"

"By who? Your mother?" Weiss retorted.

"A-and Pyrrha!"

"Hello again!" Said girl spoke up from her seat.

"C'mon!" Jaune clapped his hands together in a begging motion. "Let me play your hand for a turn!"

"I'm not trusting you with the good citizens of Vacuo!" Weiss said as she drew her cards closer to herself.

"Why not?! You've trusted me with _way_ more important stuff before! I mean you told us that Blake is secretly a Fau―"

"Fun-loving person whom we all admire and respect!" Pyrrha saved Jaune as she got up from her seat and covered Jaune's mouth with her hand.

"Right. That," Jaune said as he sheepishly rubbed the back of his head with his hand as Blake stared at him. "Ladies, Johnny, enjoy your battle," Jaune said as he bowed, then followed Pyrrha back to their seats.

"'Sup, losers?" The group turned to see Sun standing behind Johnny's chair.

"'Sup, Sun?" Johnny said as he waved to his friend, who waved back.

"Hey, Sun!" Ruby cheerfully greeted Sun.

"Blake, Johnny, Ruby, Yang," Sun nodded at the floor. "Ice Queen," he said as he glared at Weiss.

"Why does everyone keep calling me that?!" Said Ice Queen complained.

Ignoring her, Sun continued, "I never got a chance to formally introduce you to my old friend." Sun gestured at the blue-haired teen next to him.

"Uh...aren't libraries for reading?" Sun's friend asked.

"Thank you!" Ren called from his seat as he threw his hands up, causing everyone to look in his general direction.

"Pancakes!" Nora said as she snapped her head back after waking up.

"Shut up. Don't be a nerd," Sun told his friend.

"Intellectual, okay? Thank you," Sun's friend corrected the Faunus. He turned back to the group and gave a two-finger salute to the group. "I'm Neptune."

"Nice hair, man," Thomas nodded in approval of Neptune's haircut and hair color.

"You, too, man," Neptune smiled at Thomas, who smiled back.

"So, Neptune, where are you from?" Weiss smiled at the boy.

"Haven," Neptune said as he walked over to Weiss. "And I don't think I've caught your name, snow angel."

"Um...I'm Weiss," Weiss (uncharacteristically) said nervously.

"Are you kidding me?!" Jaune complained as he saw the whole thing.

Ignoring him, Neptune said, "Pleasure to meet you."

"Hey, Johnny, I didn't know you played this game," Sun said as he observed his friend's cards.

"You kidding? I played this game all the time when I was a kid. I had my dad buy me a boatload of booster packs. I just got lucky when I got this," Johnny explained as he showed Sun his best card.

Sun read it over and his eyes widened. "High risk, high reward, huh? Not bad." Sun handed the card back to Johnny, who put it back in his hand.

"I'm actually subbing in for Blake."

"I didn't take _her_ for the board game playing type."

"Well," Blake said as she turned to leave, "I think I'm done here for today, guys."

"What's wrong with her?" Sam asked as she continued eating her kettle corn. She handed the tin over to Nora, who began shoving handfuls of kettle corn in her mouth.

"I don't know," Eric said as his eyes narrowed. "But we have to know, guys."

"Just leave it to us!" Yang said with a smile. "But later. Right now, we have a game to finish."

"Can I play?" Neptune asked.

"Sure. You can take my spot," Weiss said as she got up.

"Thanks, snow angel." Weiss blushed at the compliment and looked away, smiling the whole time. "Vacuo, huh? This'll be interesting."

 **(x)**

"Johnny? You okay, man?" Thomas asked his brother as the team walked into their room.

"Why wouldn't I be? I mean, it's not like Lady Luck just decided to abandon me when I needed her the most, and she went over to support True Blue instead, right?!" Johnny ranted as he slumped down on his bed, crossing his arms and pouting like a child.

Sam raised an eyebrow. "True Blue?"

"Shut up. We all have nicknames."

"That's fair."

"So, what are you going to do now?" Eric asked as he sat on his bed and faced Johnny.

Johnny shrugged. "I'm going to sleep off these salty tears, maybe challenge Neptune to a rematch sometime soon. Tomorrow, though, we see what's up with Blake."

"Sounds like a plan. Bathroom's all yours, by the way."

"Thanks." Johnny grabbed his pajama bottoms and went into the bathroom to change.

Thomas, Sam, and Eric all walked into the common room that they shared with Teams JNPR and RWBY. Thomas jumped onto the couch, grabbing the remote as he did so. "What's on tonight?"

"Let's see," Sam said as she sat down next her brother. Without a word, Eric sat down as well. Thomas turned on the T.V. and began flipping through channels.

" _Breaking news!"_ Lisa Lavender's voice rang through the hall.

"Stop here," Eric said. Thomas stopped, wanting to see what this was about.

" _There has been a murder in Tukson's Book Trade. The victim has been identified as the bookstore's owner, Tukson. More on the murder at 11:00. Stay tuned."_

Thomas turned off the T.V. when he sensed a familiar gravitational field behind them. He turned to see Johnny standing at the doorway with a shocked look on his face. "You saw the report, didn't you?"

Johnny nodded. "Tukson's...dead? It can't be." Johnny shook his head in denial.

"You can get your books somewhere else, Johnny."

"It won't be the same, dammit!"

"Calm down," Sam comforted her brother. "Just sleep it off."

"I'll do that. Thanks." With that, Johnny went back into their room.

"We can't dwell on what we couldn't stop," Thomas said philosophically.

"Well spoken, Tommy," Eric said.

 **(x)**

 **S/N: Sorry for the abrupt ending. I couldn't find a good spot to end this without making the chapter go on. Hopefully the next chapter will be done faster!**

 **A/N: As always, Read & Review!  
**

 **S/N: Till next time!**


	12. Chapter 12: Day Date

**Team JEST  
Chapter 12: Day Date**

 **S/N: No action this chapter, but some romance and humor! That counts, right?!**

 **A/N: No. No, it doesn't. By the way, we don't own RWBY. Also, there's a RWBY game! For Xbox and PS4! Since January 17th! Yay.**

 **(x)**

"Wake up, sleepyhead." Johnny stirred awake, but pulled his blanket closer to him. "Wake up~," the voice calling to Johnny sang. "I said wake up!"

"I'm up!" Finally, Johnny sat up in his bed, his blanket falling to below his waist.

"You go shirtless when you sleep, Swordslinger?"

Johnny sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. "Yang, why are you in my room?"

Yang got up from Johnny's bed and moved over to the center of the room, her hands behind her back. "Well, it's Saturday! I wanted to know if you want to go to the city today!"

"Alright. I'm down." Johnny stretched as he sat up. "Who else is coming?"

"Actually, I was kinda hoping it'd be just us today."

Johnny raised an eyebrow as he grabbed a towel. "You mean…like a date? Aren't those things supposed to be at night, though?"

"Day dates _do_ exist, Johnny. Besides," Yang said as she drew closer to Johnny, "we haven't spent any time together. Alone, I mean."

"Tempting," Johnny said as he sweetly pushed Yang away. "But I need to shower. Come back in 15 minutes." Yang rolled her eyes as she stepped out of the room. Taking the opportunity, Johnny stepped into the bathroom and began running the shower. After 5 minutes, he was done. When he stepped out, he wrapped a towel around his waist and walked out to his room. He grabbed a red t-shirt from his dresser, as well as a pair of black skinny jeans, a pair of socks, and some underwear. He got dressed, dried his hair, set his hairstyle, and pulled on his trench coat, gauntlets with gloves, and his boots before leaving his room.

Patiently, Johnny waited for Yang, as it was nearing the 15 minute deadline. After it had been reached, the door to Team RWBY's room opened, and Yang stepped out. Johnny motioned that he was ready, and the two began walking out of the building together.

 **(x)**

The couple stepped into the courtyard, where they saw an airship waiting. As Johnny and Yang kept walking, something caught Yang's eye from her peripherals. It looked like that thing was heading towards the airship as well. Once they got closer, Yang realized who the figures were. "HEY!" She yelled at the duo, startling Johnny.

"Ah, Yang, where did you come from?!" Ruby exclaimed as she and Thomas jumped.

"Hey, Tommy!" Johnny yelled as he waved at his brother.

"'Sup, Johnny?!" Thomas yelled as he waved back.

"Where do you think you're going?" Yang placed her hands on her hips as she glared at her sister.

"Tommy and I were going to the city!" Ruby explained.

"You can't go to the city!"

"Why not?!"

"Because _we're_ going to the city!" Yang pulled Johnny closer to herself.

"Compromise!" Johnny and Thomas simultaneously called out.

"How about you two go do whatever you want in the city, and just not talk to us for today?" Johnny offered.

" _But_ we'd have to get back on the airship together," Thomas continued.

"Seems like a fair trade, if you ask me."

"Ditto."

"It's settled, then!" Ruby said.

"Ugh. Fine. Let's go now. Airship's not gonna wait forever," Yang said as she began walking forward with Johnny. "Now our day's ruined." Yang crossed her arms over her chest and pouted.

Johnny placed an arm over Yang's shoulders, and the yellow-haired brawler leaned into her boyfriend. "Don't worry. As long as we don't interact with them, then our day will be fine," he comforted her.

"I guess you're right. Thanks, Johnny." Yang gave her boyfriend a kiss on the cheek.

"No problem, sweetheart. Let's get seats next to each other."

"Sounds like a plan!"

 **Meanwhile…**

"So we're still sticking to our plans, right?" Ruby asked Thomas as the two walked behind their respective siblings.

"Yep. As long as we don't interact with them, things _should_ go right," Thomas replied as he mimicked Johnny's action of placing an arm over his girlfriend's shoulders.

"Should?" Ruby looked up at Thomas as she leaned into his hold.

"Have you met me?"

Ruby giggled. "True."

"Let's get seats far away from those two."

"Good idea."

 **(x)**

When the airship landed in the city, Johnny and Yang got off first and began walking in one direction. Soon after, Ruby and Thomas got off and began walking in the opposite direction. "So what's first?" Johnny asked as he and Yang kept walking.

"Well," Yang started, "I was thinking maybe we could head to the arcade?"

"I'm game."

"Was that a pun?"

"Yup."

"I have never been more proud in my life."

"Hehe. Let's go. I want to win a teddy bear."

"For me, right?"

"...Sure." Johnny offered his hand to Yang, who took it. The two walked in blissful silence for the next 10 minutes, before finally reaching the arcade. "Let's go win some prizes."

"Okay!"

 **10 minutes later…**

"Man, we need to stop winning," Johnny said as he and Yang walked out with oversized teddy bears in their arms.

"It's not our fault that we're good sharpshooters! And good pounders!" Yang ranted.

" _Please_ rephrase that."

"...And good at killing Grimm!"

"Better. Hey, can we stop by the Quicksilver Bar? I want to say hi to Manny again."

"Why not? I could use a Strawberry Sunrise."

"Why do you drink those, anyway?"

"Why do you drink soda pops?"

"Just try it and you'll see."

"Only if you try a Strawberry Sunrise."

"Deal." Thankfully, the bar was only 5 minutes away from the arcade. When they entered, they took notice of how light business was. "Manny!"

The bartender looked up from the glass he was cleaning. He broke into a smile when he saw who spoke up. "Johnny! How ya been?"

"Good, good. You remember Yang, right?"

"Hi!" Yang waved from behind her teddy bear.

"Let me guess. Strawberry Sunrise, no ice, and one of those umbrellas?"

"Actually, I told Johnny that I'd try a soda pop."

"I see. Should I give the Sunrise to Johnny, then?"

"Yeah, I'll take it." Swiftly, Manny prepared the drinks for the two underage teens. Once they were ready, he placed them on the counter. "On the house."

"Thanks, Manny." Johnny and Yang grabbed their drinks, and clinked them together. "To us?"

"To us," Yang smiled at the impromptu toast. The two then downed the favorite drinks of the other. "Oh my god, this is amazing."

"You weren't lying about the Sunrise, Shotgun," Johnny said as he finished his drink. "I still prefer the soda pops, though."

"Are you kidding? _Nothing_ beats the Sunrise, Swordslinger."

"You know what? You do you, Yang."

"I think I will." The two finished their drinks, then gave the glasses back to Manny. "Thanks, Manny."

"No problem, you two. Have fun!" Johnny and Yang waved at Manny as they left, who waved back at the two.

"Where to now?" Yang asked.

"Well, I wasted _my_ turn at the bar, and your first turn was at the arcade, so it's your pick," Johnny replied.

"Turns?"

"Y'know, when you pick a place to go to. It's your turn now."

"Okay then. Let's sit down at the park."

"Bench or grass?"

"Bench, preferably."

"Lead the way, Shotgun."

The two walked towards the park, making small talk and laughing as they went along. Once they got there, they sat down at the bench that was nearest to the lake. "Wow," Yang breathed as she gazed upon the lake.

"Beautiful, right?" Johnny asked as he placed his bear on his right side, moving closer to Yang. "My parents took us here when we were younger, and we used to play here all the time. One time, though, I sat on this bench with my parents, and I was just...amazed by the beauty you could see here. Ever since, this spot became my favorite."

"I can see why. This spot has such a breathtaking view." Yang stared at the lake for a couple of seconds before turning her attention to her boyfriend, who was still observing the lake and its beauty. She smiled for a second before leaning into his side and resting her head on his shoulder.

Johnny smiled as he wrapped an arm around her, pulling her in closer. The two kept admiring the lake before they turned their attention to each other. They leaned in closer until their lips met, where they stayed that way for a few seconds. When they pulled back, Johnny smiled. "Ya wanna know something?"

Yang tilted her head to the side in curiosity. "What?"

"That was the first real kiss we shared since my meltdown."

"That's strange."

"Yup." Johnny rested his head on Yang's, whose head was on his shoulder. "So I heard that we'll be starting some different kinds of duels for this semester in Glynda's class."

"Did your dad tell you?"

"Maybe. He told me that we would be doing doubles matches where we're paired with people from other teams, so you can see if you can trust your life with a stranger. _And_ we'll be doing some training for the Vytal Festival tournament at the end of the year."

"I already know I can trust you and your family. Team JNPR, too. And the training...I can't say anything about that."

"You really can't. Regarding the double's matches, can you trust anyone else?"

"I don't need to. I can take care of myself."

"I'm not saying you can't, but it's best to have someone look out for you. Even if you don't know them."

"I guess." The two resumed their snuggling as they kept admiring the lake. It was a peaceful couple of hours before Johnny's stomach growled. "You wanna get something to eat?" Yang asked.

"My pick, right?"

"Just no pizza. We had that last time."

"I know a good place where we can get some chicken. That sound good?"

"Really good." The couple got up, and made sure to grab their teddy bears. "Lead the way."

"Of course. Follow me." Yang followed Johnny as he walked. Eventually, he stopped in front of a store that Yang hadn't seen before. "Here it is. Crown Grilled Chicken. It's a bit small, but their chicken is too good."

"We'll see. You're paying, by the way."

"Figured," Johnny sighed. He stepped inside the store with Yang and placed his bear on a spot next to his, Yang following his example. "Give me a second." He walked up to the counter and placed an order. He went back to his and Yang's table, and the two patiently waited. "You wanna get a soda?" Johnny asked.

"Yes, please. A Cola."

"Okay." Johnny got up and walked to the freezer in the fast food place, where he took out two colas and paid for them at the counter. He made sure to grab two straws before he sat down, handing one to Yang with her soda.

Yang took the soda gratefully, popping it open and putting her straw in. "How long until our chicken's ready?"

"A couple minutes. Just wait." The two drank from their sodas for the next couple of minutes. Finally, they were called up. Johnny went up and paid for their chicken. When he sat down, he plopped the basket down. "Ladies first."

"You're too kind." Yang reached in and grabbed a chicken leg. She looked at Johnny, who took out a leg of his own and began eating it. Yang looked at the chicken before biting into it. Her eyes widened at the explosion of flavor and the crunchiness of the chicken skin. "Oh. My. God. This is amazing!"

"I know, right?!" Johnny smiled as he watched his girlfriend devour the chicken leg before reaching for another. The two kept eating until there was no more chicken left. Johnny waved at the owner as they left, and the owner waved back. "I never get tired of eating here."

"But how're you going to burn all the fat?"

Johnny smirked at Yang. He shouted as he activated his semblance, then deactivated it. "I just burn it off."

"That's cheating."

"Don't knock it till you try it." Johnny looked at something in the distance. He pointed it out to Yang, who squinted to see what he was pointing out to her. "Tell me you see a carnival."

"I know where we're going next!" Yang said giddily. She grabbed Johnny's hand and pulled him as she ran. "To the carnival!"

"Wait, we need to get the bears!"

 **(x)**

 **Hours ago...**

"Alright! To the carnival!" Thomas called as he and Ruby walked to the docks.

"Hey, d'you think Johnny and Yang know about the carnival?" Ruby asked as she looked up at Thomas.

"Probably not. But it's a big place anyway, so we might not see them."

"You're right. Oh! I see it!" Ruby pointed it out to Thomas, whose eyes widened when he saw it.

"What are we waiting for? Let's go!" Thomas and Ruby ran to the carnival, ready to start their funtime. "Let's go win some stuffed animals!"

"Yeah!" When they got there, Ruby looked around in wonder. "What should we do first?!"

"How about…?" Thomas looked around until he saw a classic. "Ring toss?"

"Sure!" Thomas and Ruby made their way to the stand, where they paid for their turns.

"Ladies first." Thomas stepped back

"Why, thank you," Ruby beamed at Thomas before adopting a more serious expression as she turned back to the bottles. She looked towards the stand owner. "I only have to get two out of three, right?"

"Yup," the stand owner said while he waited to see how Ruby would do.

"Okay, Ruby. You got this," Ruby gave herself a small pep talk before aiming her first ring. She tossed it and got it onto a bottle. She aimed the next, but she missed it. She took a deep breath before aiming and tossing the last one. It got onto a bottle, and Ruby cheered. She pointed at an oversized Ursa doll. "That one, please!"

"Sure thing, little lady," the stand owner said as he grabbed the Ursa doll and gave it to Ruby, who squealed and hugged it tightly. He turned to Thomas. "Your turn, kid."

"Okay," Thomas said as he stepped up. "Here I go." Thomas tossed one, then two, then three rings, all three landing on bottles. "I'd like that Beowolf, please." Thomas received his own oversized stuffed animal. He turned to leave with Ruby, but not without waving at the stand owner, who kindly waved back.

"Good start, right?" Ruby asked Thomas as she hugged her Ursa.

"Yup," Thomas replied as he carried his Beowolf under one arm, using his other to pull Ruby close to him.

Ruby smiled as she looked up at Thomas and leaned to kiss him on the cheek. However, instead of feeling her lips on his cheek, he heard her whisper, "By the way, I know you helped me out with that last one. Thanks." After that she placed a kiss on his cheek before pulling back.

Thomas chuckled. "Didn't want to see you go home empty-handed, Rosebud." Thomas placed a kiss on Ruby's forehead. "What now?"

"Hm…" Ruby looked around before she saw something. "Oh! How about a trip to the Funhouse Mirrors?"

"Fine, but we gotta stick together. If we get lost, then we'll just wait for the other at the exit."

"Sounds like a plan!" With that, Thomas and Ruby made their way to the Funhouse, eager to see themselves in new ways.

 **(x)**

"It wasn't that funny!" Thomas fumed as he and Ruby walked out, the latter laughing out loud after seeing Thomas through a mirror that made everyone look wider and shorter than they really were.

"I just can't get over how fat you looked!" Ruby managed to get between laughs.

"I can't win with you!"

"You really can't."

"Whatever. It's my turn now." Thomas looked around until he saw the Big Top. "First things first, can we agree _not_ to go there? Clowns scare me."

Ruby shuddered. "Me, too. Next!"

"Haunted house?"

"..."

"Rosebud?"

"For some reason, that scares me less than clowns. Let's go." The terrible two walked over to a large, somewhat rickety building, labeled 'Haunted House'.

"You wanna go in first?" Thomas uncertainly asked Ruby.

"Can we go in together for this?" Ruby uncertainly asked Thomas. Thomas responded by holding his hand out to Ruby, which she took.

The two walked into the building.

 **(x)**

 **Meanwhile...**

"That looks fun," Johnny remarked as he looked at the Haunted House.

"Looks like two people already entered," Yang noticed.

"Doesn't matter. Let's go." Johnny and Yang walked to the building. About halfway there, Johnny instinctively held his hand out Yang, and she instinctively grabbed it.

When they walked inside, they were engulfed in complete darkness, even more so when the doors closed behind them. "Suddenly regretting this decision," Johnny nervously said.

"We can handle it. Stop being such a big baby!" Yang rolled her eyes, but held Johnny's hand tighter so she didn't lose him in the dark.

Suddenly, the two heard a roar similar to that of an Ursa's. The two instinctively turned around and got ready to fight. "Why does your Ursa roar when it's squeezed?!"

"I didn't know it could do that!" Both Johnny's and Yang's eyes widened when they recognized those voices. Johnny activated his semblance, providing light in the dark place. "Why is it so bright now?!"

"Tommy? Ruby?" Johnny called out in the direction of the voices.

"Johnny? Is that you?!" Thomas' voice called back.

"Just go towards the light!"

"Not like this!" Ruby's voice called, sounding closer than before.

"You know what I mean!" Finally, Ruby and Thomas came into view. "What're the odds, huh?"

"They were _supposed_ to be very slim," Thomas remarked.

"Yang? Are you okay?" Ruby asked her silent sister.

Johnny looked over at Yang, then moved back; Yang was seething, and her eyes were slowly turning red. Finally she screamed as her semblance activated. "Why couldn't we just enjoy our day?! Why do you two have to ruin it?!" Yang screamed.

"Calm down, Shotgun!" Johnny held Yang, who slowly calmed down in her boyfriend's grip. He looked over to Thomas and Ruby, both of whom were looking down in sadness. "I'm sorry about that. She just _really_ wanted for me and her to have this day together," he said sheepishly.

"We understand. We'll just leave," Thomas forced a smile as he spoke. "Let's go, Rosebud."

Ruby nodded. She turned her attention to Yang, who had fully calmed down. "Sorry, big sis."

"It's okay. I should be sorry. I shouldn't have blown up like that," Yang apologized.

"Don't be. Let's just go now. Day's almost over anyway." The three walked to the door, where Thomas was waiting.

"We calm, now?" Thomas asked the brawler.

"Yeah. Sorry," Yang responded.

"It's okay." Thomas checked his scroll. "Yikes. 4:20, already?"

"Wait, it's only 4:20?" Johnny asked.

"Let's get something to eat!" Ruby suggested as they left.

"You guys can. Johnny and I already ate," Yang said as she stretched. She looked over to a nearby tree, and her eyes brightened when she saw two oversized teddy bears. "We'll meet you two at the park."

"Same spot, Johnny?" Thomas asked his brother as the latter picked up one of the bears.

"You know it." Johnny and Yang began walking ahead of Thomas and Ruby.

"So what should we eat?" Ruby asked Thomas.

"I know a good chicken place."

 **(x)**

"That chicken was AMAZING," Ruby said as she and Thomas walked in the direction of the park.

"I know, right? You wouldn't expect it from a place as small as Crown Grilled," Thomas agreed.

"Hey, look! We're here!" Indeed, the two already reached the park.

"Not quite. We need to get to the lake. That's where Johnny and Yang are going to be."

"If you say so." The two walked around, Ruby following Thomas. Finally, they reached the bench where Johnny and Yang were. Ruby squealed when she saw Yang lean into Johnny, and squealed even more when she saw them kiss for the second time that day (unknown to her and Thomas). "I'm so happy for them!"

"Me, too! They haven't kissed since Johnny's meltdown," Thomas remarked as he placed an arm on Ruby's shoulders and watched as the other couple snuggled. "Never took Yang for the lovey-dovey type, though."

"Maybe Johnny had an effect on her?" Ruby offered.

"Maybe. We haven't kissed in public since our date, right?"

"You wanna fix that?"

"Maybe." Thomas and Ruby looked at each other before shrugging and kissing. When they pulled back, Thomas took a breath. "I don't know why, but that takes my breath away every time."

"Me, too. Let's go interrupt them, now." Ruby and Thomas snuck over to Johnny and Yang, before jumping out and yelling, "BOO!"

"Holy crap!" Johnny yelled as he and Yang jumped up abruptly.

"What's the big idea?!" Yang glared at the two as she placed a hand on her chest, making sure her heart rate went back to normal.

"We wanted to scare you," Thomas beamed.

"And it worked!" Ruby fist pumped.

"Assholes," Johnny spat out.

"Did you see the kiss?" Yang questioned.

"What kiss?" Thomas' grin was unconvincing.

"You saw everything?"

"Yeah. It made me so happy to see you two kiss! It's just like a fairy tale!" Ruby jumped up and down giddily.

"Tch. I'll give you that one." Johnny stretched for a bit. Finally, he and Yang grabbed their bears. "I guess we'll see you back at Beacon?"

"Wait, we're leaving?" Yang asked.

Johnny shook his head. "They're going to be here for a bit, so I was thinking we could go to a movie."

"I pick."

"Ah, goddamnit." With that, and a wave, Johnny and Yang left.

 **(x)**

"Shotgun," Johnny began. "What movie is this?"

" _Ninjas of Love,_ " Yang cheerfully replied.

"Why?"

"Why not? I've been wanting to see this for a while."

"O...kay. But I think we're underage."

"We don't _look_ underage."

"Fair point. Let's see." After they finished their chat, the couple saw that it was their turn at the ticket stand. "2 tickets for _Ninjas of Love_ , please."

"Aren't you kids a little young for that?"

"No."

"If you say so," the guy shrugged as he handed Johnny two tickets. "50 Lien, kid."

"Here you go." Johnny handed 50 Lien to the guy, then walked with Yang to their movie. "Let's see how this goes."

 **One movie later…**

"I. Regret. EVERYTHING," Johnny groaned as he walked out of the theater.

"Eh. The book was better," Yang shrugged as she walked with her boyfriend.

"How can you say that?!"

"Easy. I read the book."

"Okay, stop. Please. Let's just...go back to Beacon now."

"Fine. I wanna try those things out, though."

"Not on your life."

"You're no fun."

"I lost what innocence I had left to that movie, Shotgun!"

"So?!"

"I can't do this right now. You got the bears?"

"Yup!" Yang cheerfully said as she pulled out both teddy bears from seemingly nowhere.

 _You know what? I've seen plenty of strange things in my life, so why should real life hammer space be any different?_ Johnny thought to himself as he grabbed his bear. He could tell it was his because it was a shade darker than Yang's bear. "To the airship?"

"Can we grab dinner first?"

"We'll get takeout and eat it on the ship."

"Fine."

 **(x)**

"Y'know, this day date idea wasn't a bad one, after all," Johnny mused as he and Yang walked into Beacon.

"I know, right?" Yang agreed. "You wanna do this weekly?"

"Of course. Well, maybe not _every_ week, but maybe every other week."

"That's totally fair." Yang checked her scroll for the time. "Wow, it's already nearing 9. Lights out soon."

"Really?" Yang nodded. "That sucks. I wanted to spend more time with you."

"How do you think I feel?" The two stood in silence for a few more seconds. "You think Thomas and Ruby got back safely?"

Johnny pointed behind Yang (into the building), who turned around to see what he was pointing at. She saw Thomas and Ruby walking and holding hands. "I think they got back safely." He put his arm down, and offered his hand to Yang. "You want me to walk you to your room?"

"Yes, please," Yang smiled teasingly as she took Johnny's hand. The two walked in blissful silence for a few minutes, before they reached Team RWBY's room. "Am I going to get a goodnight kiss?"

"Do I have a choice?" Johnny asked.

"What do you think?" Yang countered.

Johnny sighed in mock annoyance, but maintained a smile on his face. He caressed Yang's face with his free hand, before leaning in and giving her a sweet kiss. When he pulled back, both he and Yang were slightly blushing. "Good night, sweetheart," Johnny said as he turned around and walked to his own room.

"G'night," Yang called before she entered her room.

 **(x)**

 **During the movie…**

 **Back at the Park...**

"That's so cool!" Ruby said with sparkling eyes as Thomas told her tales of his parents. The two were sitting in a bench near the lake, admiring its beauty.

"Right?! And in the end, my mom took her sword and stabbed right through a Boarbatusk!"

"From the top?!"

"Yup!"

"Wow!" Ruby's eyes sparkled. When she calmed down, she asked, "So, how were they?"

"As parents, you mean?" Ruby nodded. "Like I told you guys before, they're the absolute best. They know when something's up, and they won't hesitate to do whatever they can to bring a smile to your face if you're feeling sad."

"And as teachers?"

"...Let's just say, Johnny drew the short end of the stick; his Semblance wasn't activated yet, and my dad was extra tough on him. Let me tell you, at the end of every training session, my mom always had to heal us."

"Yikes."

"Mm-hmm. But in the end, we became extremely powerful. And I wouldn't trade a second of my life for anything else."

"Same. But, what I _do_ want is to see my mom again."

"Why? Where is she?"

"She's dead."

"Oh. Shit. Sorry for asking."

"Don't be. She was a Huntress. She had to go on a mission."

"Let's stray away from family for now."

"Please." The two focused their attention back to the lake, which was looking even more beautiful as it reflected the setting sun.

"What movie d'you think Johnny and Yang are watching?" Thomas asked.

" _Ninjas of Love_ ," Ruby cheerfully replied.

"...Excuse me?"

"Yang read it a couple weeks ago, and she's been wanting to see the movie."

"The book is better."

"What makes you say that?"

"Blake let me borrow her copy. I saw the promos for the movie. Didn't need to see it to decide which version I prefer."

"Can I read it?"

"No."

"Why not?!" Ruby pouted adorably. Thomas smiled and ruffled her hair.

"Because that book is filthy, and I don't want you to lose your innocence so soon."

"Fine," Ruby said. She leaned into Thomas as he wrapped an arm around her. "Hey, d'you think your Beowolf growls when it's squeezed?"

In response, Thomas squeezed his Beowolf doll. "Yeah," he said after it finished growling.

"Cool. What time is it?"

"It's…" Thomas looked at his scroll. "8:55."

"Let's head back to Beacon."

"Race you to the airship?"

"You're on!"

 **(x)**

"We should do this more often," Ruby said as she held Thomas' hand and swung both their hands back and forth.

"Yup. Maybe _without_ Johnny and Yang next time," Thomas agreed.

"Maybe we could tell them when _we're_ going out?"

"But what if we ever want to double date?"

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it." The two continued walking back to their rooms, where Thomas and Ruby stopped outside Thomas' room. "Good night kiss?" Ruby asked hopefully.

Thomas smirked and answered her question by kissing her. When he pulled back, he smiled at her. "G'night, Ruby. See you tomorrow."

"Bye, Tommy!" Ruby waved back at her boyfriend as she walked back to her room.

 **(x)**

 **S/N: So apparently, I am shit at ending some chapters. That's my opinion, at least. By the way, here's a quick heads up.**

 **A/N: Since RWBY: Grimm Eclipse is canon to the storyline of RWBY, we** _ **will**_ **be including it in this story, and it will be between Volumes 2 & 3, like the game is. And as always, Read & Review!**

 **S/N: Till next time!**


	13. Chapter 13: A Night to Remember

**Team JEST**

 **Chapter 13: A Night to Remember**

 **S/N: This episode takes place during the preparations for the dance, and the dance itself. The** _ **actual**_ **action will start next chapter, with some Rogers-style training. Also, got RWBY: Grimm Eclipse and it is** _ **amazing**_ **. Like I said in the previous chapter, we will be including the game in this story, between volumes 2 & 3, which is where the game is canonically. It's pretty much Volume 2.5, and it will be 10 chapters long (one mission each chapter).**

 **A/N: On that note, let's get this chapter started! BTW, we don't own RWBY.**

 **(x)**

"Where do these go, Weiss?!" Johnny called as he held up a box of decorations.

Weiss looked at the contents of the box, then looked around for a good spot for it to go. "Hmmm…over there!" Weiss pointed near the bleachers. Johnny nodded as he carried it over to the designated area. Since Team CFVY were still on their away mission, and they were in charge of organizing the dance, Weiss and Yang were assigned the task instead, and the majority of Team RWBY were currently setting up the ballroom for the dance, along with Team JEST, who had 'volunteered' to help.

"Weiss! I'm here!" Eric called to the Ice Queen as he jogged up to her. "What do you need me for?"

"Faunus have incredible eyesight, right?" Weiss asked the Rogers Faunus. When Eric nodded, Weiss brought out two white sheets. "This one?" She shook the one in her right hand. "Or this one?" She shook the one in her left hand.

"Depends. What theme are you going for?"

"Like a school dance theme."

"In that case, that one." Eric pointed to the one in her left hand. "It gives off a more innocent glow, because it's a lighter shade."

"Thank you!" Weiss put them both away and walked away to talk to Johnny, who soon left to get some more supplies.

"Eric!" The Faunus turned around to see Yang walking up to him with two dresses in hand, one yellow and one white. "Which one?"

"...Where exactly is the first dress?" Eric sweatdropped as he pointed at the yellow dress.

"So, white then?"

"Did you ask Johnny?"

"No."

"Go for the white."

"Thanks, E! You're the best!" Yang walked away with a smile on her face, humming contently to herself.

"Eric!" Eric looked around to see who called him. "Up here!" Eric looked up and saw Thomas on a ladder, fixing a stereo. Thomas, with a smile on his face, said, "Red wire? Or blue wire?"

" _Please_ tell me you're bullshitting me."

"Obviously. Could you plug that wire in for me?" Thomas pointed at an unplugged wire, which was connected to the stereo he was working on. Eric nodded, and walked over to the wire. He plugged it in for Thomas, who motioned for Sam to play a song. Sam did so, and when she pressed play on her laptop, the song that played was 'Courtesy Call' (Nightcore Version), and she stopped it when she heard sound clearly come from the stereo. "Great! I'll get to work on the other one. E, could you help?"

Eric nodded, relieved to be doing something other than pick out color choices for his friends. When they reached the second stereo, Thomas maneuvered the ladder he was on before towards them, and Eric climbed it. He saw that a couple of things were disconnected, and he plugged them back in. After doing so, he gave Thomas a thumbs up, then jumped down. "Plug her in and see if she works."

"Gotcha," Thomas said as he grabbed the stereo's plug and put it into the nearest socket. Sam played her song once more, then shut it off once she heard the song from the stereo.

"Weiss!" Eric called over the organizer. When Weiss got to them, Eric told her, "We got the stereos set up."

"Thanks, you guys! Could you help me, Ruby, and Johnny set up the decorations?"

"Sure," Thomas said. "Where's Blake in all this?"

"She said that she didn't have time for the dance," Ruby explained.

"We tried to convince her, but she wouldn't have it," Weiss elaborated.

"Huh. Maybe she'll change her mind," Eric pitched hopefully.

"I guess we'll see. C'mon, Tommy, we could use your semblance for this," Johnny said. He and Thomas walked over to a couple of banners, and got to work.

"Ruby, you go into the kitchen and see how the food is so far? Wait!" Weiss called as Ruby turned to leave. Weiss looked over at Eric and said, "Go with her, and _please_ make sure she doesn't eat the cookies," before walking away to deal with something else. Eric walked up to Ruby, and both went towards the kitchens.

"How's your investigation into Torchwick going?" Eric asked as he and Ruby walked around the kitchen, seeing how the cooking was going.

"We've managed to learn where Torchwick is operating, thanks to Sun and Blake," Ruby answered. She stopped when she saw a cookie jar, only to whine in protest as Eric pulled her away from the tasty treats.

"Where would that be?"

"Somewhere outside of Southeast Vale. Not only that, but Weiss also managed to find out that Vale was the primary target for all of the Dust store robberies!"

"I bet my team and I delayed things by returning some of the stolen Dust?"

"Yup! We also fought Torchwick in giant robot armor!"

"Nice! What armor?"

"Last I checked, it was…" Ruby's face scrunched up in thought. "An Atlesian Paladin-290."

"Oh damn! Those things are HUGE! How did you take it out?"

"A lot of team moves."

"I got to pitch that idea to Johnny," Eric said to himself. "Okay, we checked on the food. We'll tell Weiss it was delicious."

"That's so evil!" After a second of silence, Ruby spoke again. "I like it."

 **(x)**

"How're the banners coming along, you two?" Weiss called to Johnny and Thomas.

"We're just about finished, Ice Queen," Johnny called back.

"Aaaaand… done!" Thomas said as if on cue.

"Great! That's all for now, guys! Oh, Johnny, I think Yang wanted to see you," Weiss informed. Johnny nodded and walked away.

"What does Yang need him for?" Thomas asked as he walked with Weiss.

"I dunno. Anyways, take a little break, go make yourself something to eat, whatever you want to do. You deserve it."

"Thanks, Weiss. You're not that much of an Ice Queen as everyone says you are." On that note, Thomas left the ballroom, leaving Weiss feeling better about herself.

"Weiss!" Weiss turned to see Eric and Ruby walk up to her. "We checked on the food, and it was delicious."

"Tell me you didn't eat the food."

"Of course not. What are we, animals?" A moment passed. "Ignore that last one."

"I'll do my best, Eric. I'll let you know when I have more things for you to do." Weiss turned and walked away.

"Does that mean it's my break time?" Eric asked Ruby, who shrugged in response. "I'll take that as a 'yes'. If you'll excuse me, I'm going to head to the library and try to convince Blake to go to the dance." After Eric left, Ruby was left alone. She shrugged her shoulders and walked back towards the common room her team shared with Teams JEST and JNPR. Maybe she could get Thomas to make her a cookie.

 **(x)**

"Yang!" The yellow-haired brawler turned to see Johnny jogging up to her. "Weiss said you needed me?"

"Yep!" Yang placed her hands behind her back and rocked back and forth, slightly confusing Johnny. "Aren't you going to ask me?"

"Ask you what, exactly?"

Yang rolled her eyes. "To the dance, silly!"

"Oh! Sorry about that." Johnny cleared his throat before looking Yang directly in her eyes. "Will you go to the dance with me?"

"I dunno…" Yang mused as she placed a hand under her chin in mock thought. She adopted an amused look when she saw that Johnny had a deadpanned look on his face. "I'm just kidding. Of course I'll go with you."

"Good. You had me scared for a bit there. So, what're you wearing to the dance?"

"Let me just tell you that I will be turning heads."

"Can I get a sneak peek?" Johnny asked teasingly.

"Do you want one?" Yang asked in the same manner, adding a flirtatious look for greater effect.

"Nah. I wanna be surprised."

"You're no fun."

"Don't hate. You want me to make you something?"

"Sure."

"Got any specifications?"

"Nah. I wanna be surprised."

"How dare you use my own line against me," Johnny joked as he walked to the common room with Yang. When they got there, they saw Thomas sitting at a chair, eating some cookies. Ignoring him, Johnny walked around the counter into the kitchen area, where he brought out some eggs, a bowl, some ground red pepper, and vegetables. "This was something I ate all the time back home. I guarantee you'll like it."

"We'll see," Yang smiled before she turned around and sat down at one of the chairs.

 **5 Minutes Later…**

"Done!" Johnny called as he got his meal on a plate. He took it, as well as a fork, and sat down at the couch, happily digging in once he sat down.

Yang, having heard him, got up from her seat, and took a look at what Johnny made her. It was a veggie omelette, and it looked really good. She grabbed the fork that was placed next to it, grabbed the plate with her omelette on it, and walked over to the couch, plopping down next to Johnny and turning on the TV. While Lisa Lavender blabbed on, Yang took a piece of the omelette and bit it. Once she chewed it and swallowed, her eyes widened as an explosion of flavor and deliciousness hit her like a truck. "Johnny?"

Johnny finished the last of his omelette, wiping his mouth with a tissue as he looked at Yang. "Yeah, sweetie?"

"If we get married, you're doing all the cooking."

"That's...way too far into the future, Shotgun."

"My point stands. How'd you learn to cook, anyway?"

"My mom believes that the four of us should be able to cook, so we won't have any problems in the future. So, she taught us." Johnny flipped through the channels while Yang ate her omelette, and once he found one that he liked, he dropped the remote onto the couch and leaned back as he watched the program. "My dad told me that, after the dance, he'd put the entire class through the same training he put the four of us through, in preparation for the Vytal Festival Tournament."

"Yeesh. If it's as bad as you say, then we're going to have a bad time." Yang finished her omelette, and leaned back with a satisfied look on her face.

"Yup. So anyway, tell me about what happened. During your investigation into Torchwick, I meant."

Yang told him everything that happened, including that she and her team made some team moves. An idea came to Yang. "Oh! If you guys had your own team moves, that'd be _so_ cool to see!"

"Hmmm. You're right about that. Give me time. I'll see what I can do."

 **(x)**

 **At the library...**

"Hey," Eric said once he caught sight of Blake reading at one of the tables. He sat down and, given what Team RWBY told him, wasn't surprised to see her asleep, her head slumped over the book she was reading.

He grabbed the book from under her chin and slammed it shut, startling the Faunus girl awake. "Y'know," Eric joked, "if you read something as boring as _The Art of War_ , you're bound to fall asleep."

"What do you want?" Blake asked bluntly, bringing the mood Eric created to a crashing halt.

"Alright, all jokes aside, are you okay? From what I heard, you haven't slept or eaten anything in awhile. And tired does _not_ look good on you."

"Shut up. And how can _you_ of all people sleep easy, knowing that Roman Torchwick is out there, with the White Fang, doing who knows what?!"

"Whoa, calm down! _I_ can afford to sleep easy because I don't know shit about the White Fang. You, on the other hand-you were a member, possibly from birth. And just because it's changed doesn't give you the right to torture yourself like this.

"And I get it-it's different from the White Fang you joined. They've changed for the worse. But I stand by my words: Don't do this to yourself. Think about how the others feel; think about how _I_ feel. _I_ don't like seeing you do this to yourself."

"Eric…" Blake was at a loss for words. She looked down in shame, until Eric gently grabbed her chin and lightly pulled her head to meet his eyes.

"Blake…" Without a warning, his lips met Blake's, surprising the Faunus girl before she wholeheartedly returned it, breaking it after a few seconds. "Promise me you'll take better care of yourself. For me."

"I promise," Blake said breathlessly. "But what you did...Does that mean…?" Eric nodded, then leaned in to meet Blake's lips once more.

"Will you go out with me?" Eric asked once they stopped for breath.

Blake smiled. "Finally. I was wondering when you were going to ask."

Eric beamed. "I love you too, Bella. And will you go with me to the dance?"

"...Why not? I guess it'll be fun."

"Great! Now let's get you back to your room. You need sleep."

 **(x)**

"Excuse me?" Sam turned around when she heard someone call her. In front of her was a teenager, possibly older than her. He ran a hand through his short cyan-colored hair before clearing his throat. He gave off a very confident vibe. "Are you Samantha Rogers?"

"In the flesh," Sam said cautiously.

"I'm Cymon Turner (pronounced 'Simon'). I'm the leader of Team CIAN (Cyan). My team and I are exchange students from Shade Academy, all the way from Vacuo." The poor guy sounded nervous as hell.

"Nice to meet you, Cymon. How do you know who I am?"

"You, your brothers, and your parents are famous. Who _doesn't_ know you? Anyways," Cymon shook his head to clear his thoughts, "I was wondering if you heard about the dance on Monday."

"I'm helping set it up. Of course I know about the dance."

"Right. Sorry. Silly me. I was, um, wondering…" Cymon took a breath. "Do you want to go to the dance with me?"

Sam pondered the question for a while, scaring Cymon. Sam looked up at him and smiled, calming him down. "Sure."

"Okay, sorry for bothering yo―wait, what?" Cymon asked as he turned around to leave, then turned back to stare incredulously at Sam.

"Why not? You seem like a nice guy."

Cymon smiled and let out a nervous laugh. "Sorry. I was so scared that you'd say no."

"You apologize too much," Sam pointed out.

"Heh, my bad. I'm not too good around women."

"I can see that."

"Should I meet your brothers? I mean, I'll have to get _their_ approval, right?"

"Right," three new voices said. Sam and Cymon turned to see Thomas, Johnny, and Eric Rogers looking at them with stern expressions.

"Nice to meet you!" Cymon smiled and confidently walked up to Thomas. Being the same height, they stared at each other before Cymon stuck his hand out. "I'm Cymon Turner. Leader of Team CIAN from Shade."

The three Rogers brothers looked at each other, coming to a silent conclusion, scaring Cymon for a moment. "Nice to meet you too," Thomas smiled in a friendly way, and shook Cymon's hand. "Thomas Rogers. Member of Team JEST from Beacon. I see Sam likes you."

"And I like her. Do I have your permission to date her?"

"Sam's a big girl," Johnny said. "If she wants to date you, then we'll step back. You don't need our permission."

"But," Eric started, walking up to the cyan-haired teen, "if we find out you hurt her in _any_ way, then Shade Academy will have an open spot. Got it?"

"Yes, sir!" Cymon said in fear.

"Not sir. Eric," the Faunus corrected.

"Johnny," the red-haired teen said, shaking the cyan-haired teen's hand. "I'm Sam's older brother and her leader. You can take her to the dance."

"Thanks, man!" Cymon smiled confidently and walked away with Sam, the two chatting away.

"What was that about?" Blake asked as she rubbed her eyes and tried to keep them open.

"This guy asked Sam to the dance and wanted our permission. Nice guy. Let's go," Eric said as he put an arm around Blake's shoulders to guide her back to her room, until Thomas called out to them.

"Hey, lovecats! Why not come with us to the common room?" Eric looked at Blake, who nodded at him. Eric and Blake turned around and began walking back to the other two, both of whom began walking back to the common room.

 **(x)**

"They look so cute together!" Yang silently squealed as she and Johnny watched Eric and Blake from the seat they were sharing. Blake was currently resting her head on Eric's shoulder, leaning into him as his arm was wrapped around her shoulders. Her eyes were closed, like she was resting, but a smile was visible on her face.

"Yep. I was wondering when he'd ask her, though," Johnny mused as he mimicked Eric's actions, with his own girlfriend.

Yang smiled as she leaned into his embrace, and that smile grew when she saw Ruby and Thomas feeding each other cookies. "Now _that's_ adorable."

Johnny followed Yang's gaze, and a smile grew on his face when he saw what she saw. "I couldn't agree more." Johnny then grabbed the remote and flipped on the television, surfing through channels before turning it off. "Nothing good's on," Johnny said with a sigh as he placed the remote down.

"Attention everyone!" Everyone in the room turned their heads, including Blake, to pay attention to Weiss. "The dance is in a couple of days! I _need_ to know if everyone has their outfits!"

"I still need to get mine!" Johnny called.

"Same!" Thomas and Eric simultaneously called.

"I don't have a dress yet," Blake admitted.

Weiss looked at her with a surprised expression. "You're going?"

"Eric convinced me. He asked me out."

"Congratulations, you two!" Eric and Blake blushed. "Okay! So the," Weiss quickly counted heads, "five of us are going to the mall tomorrow to get some new things to wear for the dance."

"Six!" Ruby called.

"Fine. The _six_ of us are going."

"Hope you guys have fun shopping!" Yang smiled at Weiss.

"Aw, thanks, Shotgun!" Johnny beamed. Yang smiled before placing a kiss on her boyfriend's lips.

"Guys! Not here!" Weiss complained.

"You're just jealous because you don't have a boyfriend," Yang smugly said as she glanced at Weiss.

"For your information, I already asked Neptune to go to the dance with me-"

"Wait, _you_ asked Neptune?" Thomas interrupted. "Shouldn't he have asked you?"

"That's not important!"

"Sounds pretty important to me," Blake remarked.

"Gah!" Weiss gave up. "Just get some rest! We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow!"

"Hey, I'm team leader! You can't order my team around!" Johnny and Ruby simultaneously said as they glared at Weiss, making the poor heiress uncomfortable.

"We should get some rest anyway," Johnny said as he sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. He got up, despite Yang's protests, and stretched before leaning back down and kissing Yang's forehead. "Good night, guys!" Johnny walked back to room as he waved at everyone.

"Good night!" Everyone else called as they each got up and walked their separate ways.

 **(x)**

 **The Next Day...**

"Ah, the mall," Thomas said as he, Weiss, Johnny, Ruby, Eric, and Blake walked in. "Weiss, you're here the most. Lead the way."

"No problem." Weiss walked ahead, leading everybody to the shop to buy their formal clothes. "I know this great store, and it's sure to have suits you boys'll like!"

"I guess we'll see," Johnny smirked as he followed Weiss. "Although I don't want to wear a red suit, like I did when Tommy asked me to be his wingman."

"Yeah, I could do _without_ a blue suit," Thomas agreed.

"Shush! We're almost there!" Weiss silenced the bickering boys. The rest of the walk to the store was spent in silence, until Weiss stopped in front of a store. "Here it is!"

"'Tuxson School Dance'? Didn't this place just open?" Blake questioned.

"And yet, it's received good reviews," Weiss responded.

"Why?" Johnny asked in anguish upon reading the name.

"What do you-oh," Thomas and Weiss came to a sudden realization.

"Let's go in," Eric said hurriedly.

"What's the rush?" Ruby asked innocently when they all entered.

Thomas pulled Ruby aside, and whispered, "Okay, you heard that Tukson, the owner of Tukson's Book Trade is dead, right?" Ruby nodded. "Johnny knew him, and the store has a similar name."

"Ohhhhh," Ruby said as it dawned on her.

"Not a word about it to Johnny, got it?"

"Got it!" With that, the two rejoined the group and began picking out suits for the boys and dresses for the girls.

"Ok, have we chosen?" Weiss asked those that still had to get formal clothes for the dance. Blake, Eric, Johnny, and Thomas all nodded as they held some suits (or dresses) in their arms. "Let's go to the changing rooms!" The group made their way through the clothes store to the back, where they each entered a stall.

"Let's see how they look!" Ruby excitedly said.

"Coming out, ladies!" Johnny called from behind his stall door. True to his word, he stepped out in an immaculate black three-piece suit, with a white dress shirt and a red tie. "I've already got a pair of dress shoes at home, so I don't have to buy a pair here. So, how do I look?" Johnny spread his arms and looked at the 'BFF's'.

"You look good!" Weiss nodded in approval.

"You should be _so_ glad Yang's not here," Ruby rolled her eyes. "You do look good, Johnny, don't worry."

"Thanks guys. I'll go change back and pay for this. I'll see you at the ice cream parlor next door." Johnny stepped back into his stall and, after a minute, stepped out with his suit/shirt/tie of choice draped on his arm. Using his free hand to wave at the girls, who waved back, Johnny left.

"I'm next!" Thomas called. After a second, Thomas stepped out, wearing a similar outfit to Johnny; the only difference between the two outfits was that Thomas' tie color was blue.

"Wow. You and Johnny are twins, I get that, but that's just ridiculous," Weiss exclaimed.

"Looking good!" Ruby gave a thumbs up to Thomas, who responded with a smirk and thumbs up of his own.

"I'll see you ladies at the ice cream parlor." Similarly to Johnny, Thomas changed back and left the two with a wave to Weiss and a kiss on the forehead to Ruby.

Blake stepped out soon after in an outfit that looked uncomfortable for her, struggling to walk in her new heels. "How can you fight in a dress?!" Blake groaned.

"It's a combat skirt," Weiss stated. Ruby held her hand out for a high five, which Weiss gladly delivered.

"I guess I'll take this. Not many options I like, anyway." Blake went back in, and, as she changed, Eric stepped out.

Eric had on a suit that was similar to Thomas and Johnny's, but had a green tie. When noticing Weiss' look, the male Faunus shrugged. "I was just lazy."

"Just buy it," Weiss dismissed as she pinched the bridge of her nose. Eric rolled his eyes before going back in and coming back out a minute later. He heard the door next to him open, and looked to see Blake step out with her outfit of choice.

"Let's go! I want ice cream!" Ruby cheered.

 **(x)**

The school dance. Originally to be planned by team CFVY (Coffee), but passed down to Team RWBY when their mission took too long. Now set up with help from Team JEST, it was looking to be a huge success.

"Looks like everyone's enjoying themselves," Thomas remarked as he, Jaune, Johnny, and Ruby stood together by the punch bowl.

"Yeah," Jaune replied.

"That's good," Johnny said, nursing his punch.

"Mm-hmm," Ruby said as she stood closer to her boyfriend. She was wearing a short sleeveless red dress with a thick black sash around her waist and black edging at the bottom, with semi-transparent black pantyhose, black pumps and black mesh covering the gap between her breasts. Her dress also had a black collar and thin black lines of fabric extended from her sleeves and connected with the front middle of her collar.

"You guys did a good job," Jaune stated as he took a sip of his punch.

"Aw, thanks!" Ruby smiled at her friend.

"Hey, Dad's calling us over, Johnny. Let's go see what he wants." Thomas walked to the chaperoning Adrian and Lana, Johnny close behind.

"You're hiding out at the punch bowl too?"

"Yep." Ruby popped her 'p' at the end.

"To the socially awkward," Jaune toasted. Ruby giggled and returned the toast.

As they clinked glasses, Ruby said, "Sorry things didn't work out with Weiss."

"Meh, it's fine. Neptune's pretty _cool_. I get why she went with him."

"What do you mean?"

Well, come on, only Thomas and he can pull off _blue_ hair." Jaune started to take another sip of his punch.

"No, I mean, Weiss came to the dance alone." Jaune choked in surprise.

"Uh, what?" he asked in shock, turning to face RWBY's leader. He looked to see Weiss trying to keep a wilting white rose up in its vase with a look of sadness.

"She said she had too much to focus on to worry about to boys."

His attention turned to Blake, Sun, Eric, and Neptune all laughing. In an instant, the JNPR leader felt anger surge through him. "Hold my punch," he said in a low growl, handing Ruby his punch as he walked away.

Ruby grabbed the cup...then drank from it.

 **(x)**

Jaune made his way through the crowd, ready to give Neptune a piece of his mind. He stopped in his tracks, however, when he saw Pyrrha in a red dress walk right in front of him, and he watched her as she walked up the stairs to the balcony. He looked back towards where Neptune was, then to where Pyrrha went, contemplating his choices. Deciding to leave Neptune for later, the leader of Team JNPR quickly followed his teammate to see what was wrong.

When he got to the balcony, he saw Pyrrha staring at the moon. "Hey, Pyrrha," Jaune nervously called to her.

Pyrrha turned around, and replied, "Hello, Jaune."

For a couple of seconds, the two stood in awkward silence. Jaune slowly walked forward as he said, "You okay? I haven't seen you tonight."

"Arrived late, I'm afraid." Pyrrha turned back around with a slightly sad expression on her face.

"Well, you look really nice."

"Thank you."

"Your, uh, date isn't going to beat me up for saying that, is he?"

"I think you're safe for tonight."

"So, where is the guy?" Jaune rubbed his hands together to keep warm.

Pyrrha turned to Jaune, who was slightly confused. She looked down slightly. "There is no guy."

Jaune blinked. "W-What?"

"Nobody asked me."

"But that's…! You're Pyrrha Nikos! How could nobody ask you?"

Pyrrha turned back. "I've been blessed," she began, "with incredible talents and opportunities. I'm constantly surrounded by love and praise." She turned away from Jaune. "But when you're placed on a pedestal like that for so long, you become separated from the people who put you there in the first place." She turned back around to look at Jaune. "Everyone assumes I'm too good for them; that I'm on a level they simply can't attain." She spread her arms to her sides. "It's become impossible to form any sort of meaningful relationship with people." She lowered her arms and continued, "That's what I like about you. When we met, you didn't even know my name." For emphasis, Pyrrha shook her head. "You treated me just like anyone else. And thanks to you, I've made friendships that will last a lifetime. I guess...you're the kind of guy I wish I was here with." Pyrrha turned her attention to the moon. "Someone who just saw me for me." With that, Pyrrha turned around and began walking away, leaving Jaune speechless and attempting to form a response, or _anything_ to say, in his head.

"Wait!" Jaune called to Pyrrha as he turned.

Pyrrha ignored him and walked downstairs, past Neptune who was on his way to talk to Jaune. "Hey, uh...Jaune, right?"

Jaune sighed. "Yeah."

"This party's pretty lame, huh? I mean, ballroom dancing? Pbbfff." Neptune tried to break to ice, and to ease the already-thick-tension.

"Yeah."

"Cute girls though, huh?"

Jaune growled angrily before turning around to fully face Neptune. "Is that all you think about?"

"Huh?" Neptune asked in confusion.

"D-Do you even care about the girls you're hitting on? How _they_ feel about _you_?"

"Woah," Neptune raised his hands defensively, "where's this coming from?!"

"How could you just turn her down like that?!"

"Wait, w-who?"

"Weiss!" Jaune said as if it was obvious.

"I, uh…" Neptune sheepishly rubbed the back of his head as he struggled to find a reason, "it..uh…It just didn't work out. Y'know?"

"What? You think you're too cool? Too many other options?!" Jaune accused. "Weiss Schnee asked _you_ to the dance. What in the world could possibly keep you from go―"

"I can't dance!"

Jaune blinked. "Beg your pardon?"

"I can't dance, man!" Neptune looked away in shame.

"But you're...so...cool!" Jaune gestured to Neptune with his hand.

"Thank you. I try really, really hard." Neptune looked back at Jaune.

Jaune narrowed his eyes at Neptune. "You would rather break a girl's heart, and go to a dance alone, than just...admit to everyone that you can't move in rhythm to music?"

Neptune shrugged. "That about sums it up, yeah."

"Well," Jaune turned back around and looked over the railing, "I certainly feel a lot better about myself."

"Please don't tell anybody," Neptune pleaded. "Look, if you want Weiss, she's all yours. I don't wanna get in your way."

Jaune sighed as he turned around once more to face Neptune, and leaned back on the railing with his hands. "Do you like her?"

"Yeah, I mean, I don't know her too well yet, but she seems pretty cool."

"Then just go talk to her. No pickup lines, no suave moves. Just be yourself." Jaune crossed his arms. "I've heard that's the way to go."

"Yeah, but that isn't―"

"Hey, you don't have to look cool _all the time_. In all honesty, if you could look a little _less_ cool, I'd honestly appreciate it."

"Yeah. Okay."

Jaune smiled. "Go talk to her. I guarantee it'll make her night."

"Thanks." Neptune walked up to Jaune. "You're a really cool guy, Jaune." Neptune outstretched his hand for a fist bump.

"Yeah, yeah, don't lie to my face." Jaune returned the fist bump. After that, Neptune turned around and walked away.

Jaune sighed as he turned himself around to stare at the moon. "Good job, there," a voice called. Jaune turned around and was surprised to see Sam walk up to him. Jaune looked over her outfit. She wore a simple, bright yellow sleeveless dress that stopped just above her knees, with purple leggings. She wore red heels, and her dress revealed a flattering amount, causing the poor boy to blush when he saw it. "Oh, man up!" Sam rolled her eyes as she smacked Jaune on the arm.

"Ow! Jeez, you and your brothers hit _really_ hard, you know that?" Jaune complained as he rubbed the new sore spot on his arm.

"Whatever. Anyway, congratulations on _not_ decking Neptune in the nose. And don't ask how I know."

"Right. So, is there a reason you're here, or do I assume that you're hitting on me?"

"Please. I have a boyfriend. And besides, Pyrrha will kill me if I flirt with you and she found out about it."

"I guess. Wait, _Pyrrha_ would do that? Why?"

"God, you really are dense," Sam said underneath her breath. Out loud, she said, "It's obvious she likes you. Like, _painfully_ obvious. She was just waiting for you to make the first move."

"But why?"

"She told me, one girl to another, that she liked you because you were the first person to see her for who she really was; ergo, _not_ the Mistral Champion. Hell, she told me that you identified her on the _third_ try as the girl who was on the Pumpkin Pete's Marshmallow Flakes cereal box!"

"Yeah, I did do that. So, that's why she likes me?"

Sam nodded. "The real question is, Jaune, do _you_ like her? Pyrrha, not Weiss."

"..." Jaune was silent for a moment, and Sam patiently waited. "I think I do," the teen finally said.

Sam shook her head. "I need _absolute_ certainty, Jaune. None of this 'I think' bullshit. I'll ask you again. Do. You. Like. Pyrrha?"

Jaune smiled. "Yeah, I do. I like Pyrrha."

"Then make the first move! It's what she's waiting for!" Sam clapped Jaune on the shoulder before leaving him alone. Jaune collected his thoughts before he (finally) turned around and left. Before he could tell Pyrrha, there was something he need to do for her.

After all, he lost a bet.

 **(x)**

Yang smiled as she watched over the dance from the upper, indoor balcony, her arms on the railing as she leaned over it. She heard footsteps approach her, and she looked over her shoulder to greet who was walking up to her. "There you are! I've been looking all over for you!"

Johnny smiled sheepishly as he walked over to Yang and mimicked her actions as Yang turned her attention back to the dance. "Sorry. My parents held me up with something."

"What was it?"

"'Don't get too crazy. You may be reaching 18 soon, but you're still my little boy.' That's what my parents told me before letting me go with a hug and a kiss."

"What does _that_ mean?"

"It means," Johnny put arm around Yang's shoulders as she leaned into him, "that my parents gave me free reign to do whatever, but not _too_ much free reign. It's confusing, but I finally got it."

"If you say so." The two observed the party for a little longer before they were approached by Ruby. "Hey, little sis! This party turned out great, didn't it?"

"Yep. We needed this. Everyone, I meant," Ruby spoke.

"Too bad it's back to work tomorrow," Johnny chipped in. "You guys better get ready for some training; Rogers-style."

"If it's as painful as you said it was, I don't even want to know what's going to happen."

"You don't. He appointed me and my siblings as the class leaders, since we already went through 17 years of his training. And this training is only for those who qualified for the Vytal Festival tournament, and those that did are excused from their classes for the next three months."

"Three months?!" Yang looked at Johnny in surprise.

"Yeah. I'm gonna go now, so," Johnny turned and waved over his shoulder at the sisters, "have fun!"

"Wow. Three months!" Ruby exclaimed under her breath.

"Yeah, well, I think we'll be ready for anything!" Yang smiled. The two turned back to the dance when they heard several people laughing.

Ruby leaned over the railing to get a better look at what the joke was, and both her eyes and Yang's eyes widened at what they saw. "Except for that!"

 **(x)**

Pyrrha was standing alone in the crowd, and she was curious as to why everyone around her was turning around and laughing at something in the general direction behind her. Finally, she turned around and what she saw surprised her (for lack of a better term). "Jaune?!" Pyrrha asked in shock.

Indeed, Jaune was standing in front of Pyrrha, ignoring the laughter around him, as he was in a white dress. "A promise is a promise," Jaune shrugged with a smile on her face, referring to the bet that he and Pyrrha made.

Pyrrha herself began smiling, and soon began laughing genuinely. "Jaune! You didn't have to do that!"

"Hey, an Arc never goes back on his word. Now, are you just going to stand there and laugh," Jaune offered his hand to Pyrrha, "or do you wanna dance?"

"I," Pyrrha accepted Jaune's hand, "would love to dance!" Pyrrha let out a sound of surprise when Jaune pulled her close to him, and moved into the crowd.

"Ren!" Nora said excitedly to her friend. "This! Is! Happening!" Nora struck a pose.

"Wait, what is happening?" Ren asked in confusion as he held punch in his hand.

"C'mon!" Nora dragged Ren by the hand into the crowd to join Jaune and Pyrrha.

 **(S/N: The Team JNPR dance segment is too good to be written out, so go watch it: Volume 2, Chapter 7, "Dance Dance Infiltration")**

"Look at them go!" Eric remarked to Blake.

"I know! My team could _never_ have done something like this!" Blake smiled as she shook her head.

Eric watched as Team JNPR finished their dance, then he moved his attention to Neptune, who had sat down with Weiss and was talking to her.

 **With Neptune and Weiss…**

"What made you change your mind?" Weiss asked her date.

"What do you mean?" Neptune asked in confusion

"Before, you said you were too nervous. What changed?"

Neptune looked towards Jaune, and smiled. "You're looking at him." Weiss followed Neptune's gaze and her eyes rested on Jaune, who was dancing with Pyrrha. "You got some great friends looking out for you."

Weiss smiled as she realized that Neptune was right.

 **With Jaune and Pyrrha…**

"So, Sam talked to me," Jaune said as he and Pyrrha were dancing.

"About what?" Pyrrha asked while she was dancing.

"About how you liked me." Pyrrha froze, and Jaune stopped dancing as well. "She told me that you liked me, but you were waiting for me to make a move. Is that true?"

"Not entirely." Pyrrha nervously rubbed her arm. "I do like you, but I didn't make a move because your eyes were on Weiss, and I didn't want to get in the way of that."

"Well," Jaune spoke as the two got off the dance floor, "she asked me if I liked you. And I said I did." Pyrrha's eyes widened. "She also told me to make a move. And I guess I am, right now."

"What do you mean?" In answer to Pyrrha's question, Jaune gently caressed Pyrrha's cheek, before leaning in and kissing her, surprising the Mistral Champion before she returned it. The two ignored everyone cheering around them, and shouting congratulations for the new couple. When Jaune pulled back, he smiled at Pyrrha, who was blushing furiously. "You wanna go out sometime?"

Pyrrha smiled despite her embarrassment. "I would love that, Jaune."

 **Later…**

"Today's a special day, guys!" Johnny happily said as he and his friends regrouped.

"Let me guess: It's the day when Jaune and Pyrrha (finally) got together?" Thomas asked rhetorically.

"No, what's wrong with you? It's the day Pyrrha Nikos was kissed by someone in a dress."

"When you put it that way, it's hilarious. Seriously though," Thomas turned over to Jaune and Pyrrha and raised his glass to them, "congrats, you two."

"Yeah!" Everyone else raised their glasses to Thomas' toast, and Pyrrha and Jaune were both blushing and beaming.

"Thanks, you guys. And thanks, Sam," Jaune said as he drank his punch. "If it wasn't for you, I would never have asked Pyrrha."

"It's no trouble you, two," Sam said as she smiled proudly.

"Excuse me?" The group turned around to see three new people walk up to them: a girl in a black ball gown, a boy in a tuxedo, and another girl in a green dress. The black-clad female placed her hand on her hip. "Are you Johnny Rogers?" She addressed the team leader.

"Yeah, I am. May I know who I'm talking to?" Johnny inquired.

She smirked. "Cinder. Pleasure to meet you." She offered her hand for a handshake, which Johnny hesitantly gave. Johnny grimaced as he felt a small shock emit from her hand, but displayed no further reaction. "You could say I'm a fan. Am I correct in assuming that those are your siblings?" Cinder nodded towards Eric, Sam, and Thomas.

"We are. I'm Eric," the Faunus Rogers outstretched his hand to Cinder, who shook it. Like Johnny, he grimaced when a shock came from her hand.

"Sam," the female Rogers said before she shook Cinder's hand, displaying the same reaction her brothers did.

"Thomas," the eldest Rogers simply said as he held out his hand, and grimaced when she shocked him.

"Pleasure meeting all of you. I do hope we'll get along well. Emerald, Mercury, let's go." Cinder gave one last smile to Johnny, before turning and leaving with her comrades.

"That was...strange," Weiss said after Cinder and her friends exited the ballroom.

"Yeah. Hey, did she shock you guys?" Johnny asked as he inspected his hand for any marks. Strangely, there were none, save for a small cut on his palm.

"Yeah, I felt it too," Thomas said as he mimicked Johnny's actions.

"Why, though?" Eric pondered.

"Let's forget about it for now," Sam dismissed the topic once she finished inspecting her hand. "For now, let's try to enjoy ourselves. We've got a long day ahead of us tomorrow."

"Yeah!" Johnny agreed.

 **With Cinder…**

"Did you get them?" Emerald asked as she and Mercury followed Cinder.

Cinder merely smiled as she held up four small vials, each containing a sample of blood. "Atlas technology made it so that the blood transfer would be swift, so that worked out in our favor."

"Why did you need their blood anyway?" Mercury asked as he crossed his arms.

"They're some of the best fighters in the school, and they, as Hunters, propose the most danger to us. So," Cinder put the vials away as the trio walked out of Beacon, "I plan on fighting fire with fire."

"Meaning?"

"You'll see." Cinder smiled at Mercury as the trio proceeded to make their way back to their base. All the while, Mercury felt unsettled about what exactly Cinder had planned.

 **(x)**

 **S/N: Take a guess about what Cinder plans to do with their blood in the reviews! If you have an account, I'll PM you about whether you're right or not. Also, about why Pyrrha and Jaune got together: I ship them, plain and simple.**

 **A/N: And as always, Read and Review!**

 **S/A: Till next time!**


	14. Chapter 14: Top-Tier Training―Part 1

**Team JEST**

 **Chapter 14: Top-Tier Training―Part 1**

 **S/N: Hope you guys enjoyed the previous chapter!**

 **A/N: Without further ado, let's get started!**

 **Disclaimer: We don't own RWBY.**

 **(x)**

"Everyone!" Adrian called to the chattering students to, successfully, get their attention. "I will call out the teams that _have_ to be here! If your name is not called, you must leave or you will fail the semester! Headmaster's orders!" Adrian nodded over at Ozpin, who was standing with Goodwitch and Lana. Ozpin merely nodded back as he drank from his mug. "Now, listen up: if your team is called, separate from the group and join your team so I know everyone's here! This training is for _your_ benefit, not mine." Adrian cleared his throat before looking down at a clipboard and calling out, "Team RWBY!" The members of Team RWBY left the mass group of students and reconvened outside the group. "Team JNPR!" The members of Team JNPR followed the example of the previous team, as will the teams that will be called. "Team CRDL! Team CFVY! Team CIAN! Team SSSN! And finally, Team JEST!" Strangely enough, the last team called did not make their presence known, causing whispers to erupt in between the teams that were already called. "Team JEST?!" Still no answer. "Ah, that's right, they're helping me set up," Adrian said under his breath.

"We're here!" Adrian turned to see his children run up to him, and skid to a halt right in front of him. "Sorry, dad," Johnny apologized.

"It's okay. Just try to get here earlier next time, you four." Knowing better than to argue with their dad, the Rogers children went over to an empty spot near Team RWBY. "Anyone whose team I _didn't_ call, leave!" Begrudgingly, several students, Beacon and exchange alike, left. "And Teams SSSN and CIAN, I got special permission from your headmasters to train you." The aforementioned teams nodded collectively. "Team JEST, you four will be my assistant trainers. You _do_ have the most experience with my training, after all. Take your spots next to me." Without a word, Adrian's children jogged up to him and took their spots next to him (in their team order). "Before we begin training, does anyone have any questions?" Cardin raised his hand. "Yes, Mr. Winchester?"

"What's the point of this?" Cardin asked.

"The point, Cardin, is to make you ready for the tournament. Take a look at my children; they went through 17 years of my training, and now, they're some of the best fighters in the school. If you still need proof, I'm going to need a volunteer. Anyone?" After a couple of seconds, a hand shot up from Team CFVY. "Thank you, Coco." The leader of Team CFVY strutted up confidently, and placed her hands on her hips as she waited for instructions. "Johnny, step forward." Johnny stepped forward and was face to face with Coco.

"Nice to meet you," Johnny bowed respectfully.

"Same," Coco nodded.

"Now Coco, I want you to remove your sunglasses and slap Johnny as hard you can," Adrian instructed. Coco raised an eyebrow questioningly at Adrian, then moved her gaze over at Johnny. Johnny simply tapped his cheek to show where she had to hit him. Coco shrugged before taking off her sunglasses and handing them over to Adrian, drawing her hand back, and bringing it forward with all her might on Johnny's cheek. Everyone winced at the loud sound the slap made, although Johnny showed no pain. "Johnny, hit her back." Without hesitation, Johnny quickly slapped Coco with enough force to make her spin in place, before Johnny grabbed her shoulder to stop her, making sure her back was to him. With a shout, Johnny delivered an open-palm strike to her back, causing Coco to collapse with her eyes widened in shock.

"Coco!" Velvet called out in fear for her friend as she rushed to Coco's side. She stopped when Adrian held an arm to block her way, leaving Velvet fearful for her friend.

Johnny knelt besides Coco and and flipped her over, making note of how her eyes were currently rolled up in the back of her head. Johnny carefully placed a palm over her midsection, before moving it up a bit so it was positioned at just underneath her chest. Johnny quickly raised his palm up and slammed it down at that spot, causing Coco to gasp as her body reacted appropriately to being slammed on the ground. She got on her hands and knees and began coughing violently as Johnny rubbed her back. "Sorry about that. You okay?"

"I'll be fine," Coco coughed out before accepting Johnny's hand to get to her feet. "But level with me; will I be able to do that in three months?"

"Most definitely, probably, maybe."

"Good enough for me." Coco walked back over to Velvet, who was overjoyed to see her leader okay.

"See that, Mr. Winchester? Imagine doing _that_ on your opponent in the tournament. Now, any more questions?" Jaune raised his hand. "Yes, Ms. Xiao Long?" _God, that's a mouthful_ , the Huntsman thought to himself.

"Are we allowed to use our Semblances?"

"Use of your Semblance, if you have one, is strictly prohibited, and doing so will result in immediate failure." Jaune raised his hand. "Yes, Mr. Arc?"

"Are we going to be grouped up?"

"I was about to give the assignments now. And I feel like I should warn you ahead of time; only one person from each team will be paired with each of my leaders. For example: with Johnny will be Yang Xiao Long, Jaune Arc, Cardin Winchester, Sage Ayana, Coco Adel, and Aaron Ryder. One person from each team." Everyone stood and looked at Adrian for a couple more seconds. "Don't just stand there! Those I assigned to Johnny, get to him and form a line behind him!" Quickly, those that Adrian called to be in Johnny's group lined up behind the leader. "With Eric will be Blake Belladonna, Nora Valkyrie, Dove Bronzewing, Sun Wukong, Velvet Scarlatina, and Iris Stone. With Sam is Weiss Schnee, Lie Ren, Russel Thrush, Scarlet David, Fox Alistair, and Cymon Turner. Finally, with Thomas is Ruby Rose, Pyrrha Nikos, Sky Lark, Neptune Vasilias, Yatsuhashi Daichi, and Nikolas Stone (pronounced Nicholas)." When everyone was called, they each formed lines behind who they were assigned to. "Now, in your lines, follow me." The entire class followed Adrian as he walked towards where Lana, Glynda, and Ozpin were. "Lana, you know what we need to do." Lana nodded and began walking with Adrian, the class being sure to follow. They stopped in front of a building that looked similar to a bathroom, even having a room for males and a room for females. "The first row, males follow me, females follow Dr. Rogers." Adrian walked into the men's room, and Lana walked into the women's room, with Johnny, Eric, and Thomas following Adrian, and Sam following Lana.

In a couple of minutes, Johnny stepped out, no longer in his normal outfit; instead, he was wearing a sleeveless red training gi, complete with a black belt that he tightened as he stepped out. He had on black boots, as well as black wristbands. On the area over his heart was his emblem; his swords crossed in an X-fashion, and encased in a red fire that had a black outer flame. His swords were on his back, and his Waypoint was at his waist. His muscles were evident through the gi, but they weren't bulging. His chest was mostly visible because he wasn't wearing a shirt underneath.

 **(S/N: This outfit is inspired by Goku's new gi in super, meaning his gi after he starts training with Whis)**

Soon after, Eric stepped out in a green and violet version of the gi Johnny had on. His emblem was displayed in the same place Johnny's was on his gi; Eric's emblem showed his green cat ears, with his knives protruding from his ears and his Waypoint in between the knives. The entire emblem was placed in a circle. Like Johnny, his weapons were visible, his knives and his Waypoint at his sides.

Sam stepped out from the other room, donning a yellow and white version of the gi. Unlike her brothers, however, she was wearing a shirt underneath her gi, and her arms were wrapped in sports tape up to the sleeves of the gi. Her emblem showed what could best be described as a weapon wheel; it was divided into 4 sections by an X; the top section showed an outline of her signature Lightning Flash crescent blades; the middle right section showed an outline of a High-Caliber Sniper Scythe; the bottom section showed a sketch of a gun; finally, the middle left section showed her Waypoint.

Last, but not least, Thomas stepped out wearing a blue and silver version of the male gi, and his swords holstered at his sides in their gun forms. His emblem showed a circle with spikes arranged in a clockwork fashion; the 3rd, 6th, and 9th spikes are enlarged slightly, and Thomas's longsword was the 'minute hand', replacing the 12th spike, and his Waypoint (a serrated dagger) was connected to the blue stone with the longsword, and was overlapping with the 6th spike as the 'hour hand'. The entire circle and spikes were blue, save for the weapons, which were colored silver.

"Next team!" Johnny pointed a thumb over his shoulder at the building they just emerged from. Soon after, everyone was wearing versions of the male/female gi, each a different color. However, they were struggling with walking around in their gi, as their wristbands and boots were weighted. Johnny threw an incredulous look at Coco as he crossed his arms. "You can carry a 250-pound designer handbag over your shoulder, but you can't carry a grand total of 200 pounds?" Johnny asked his fellow leader incredulously.

"Screw you, these are like the weights from hell!" Coco seethed as she tried to step forward, nearly stumbling as she did so. Coco opted to keep her beret, her necklaces, and her handbag (then again, everyone kept their weapons).

"Whatever." Johnny looked over at Yang who was struggling to walk as well. "You okay, Yang?"

"Yeah! It's just the boots I'm having trouble with!" Yang called back.

"Everyone, I want you to walk to me in your weights. We will wait until everyone gets here!" Adrian instructed. It took a while, but eventually everyone reached their instructor. "Now, I want you to jump, as high as you can with your weights." After some confusion, and an example from Team JEST, everyone followed their examples, only getting as far as a couple inches above the ground. "There's a method to my madness, I promise. Now, punch with your dominant hand as hard as you can, just one time." Everyone did so. "Now remove your weights." Everyone did so. "Now, jump. When you land on the ground, make sure to punch as hard as you can." When everyone did so, they found that they could jump slightly higher than they could before, and they could punch harder than before. "Did you feel a difference?"

"Yessir!" Everyone collectively said.

"Good. I'm afraid that's all we have time for today. Meet up in the courtyard tomorrow at 8:00 AM, and remember that just because you are excused from your classes for the next three months does _not_ mean that you can slack off. Be sure to bring your new training outfits, as well as your normal outfits and weapons. Dismissed!" On that command, everyone dispersed and went back to the building (which they found out was their storage facility) to grab their things, change, and head on back to Beacon, all the while complaining about how sore their wrists and ankles felt.

"That was...lighter than I thought," Yang remarked as she and Johnny walked back to the school together.

"That was day 1, sweetie. We've still got three months ahead of us, and I think I know what he has planned if he's going to follow the same pattern he did back home," Johnny replied.

"I guess we'll see. By the way, did you know I was in your group?"

"No. How would I've known? My dad and mom did that." Johnny shrugged. "I guess they wanted us to be with whoever we were the most comfortable with."

"Sure looks like it." The two finished their walk to Beacon in silence.

"By the way, Shotgun, if you need help with anything during training, don't hesitate to ask me. I'm always happy to help."

"In that case, could you wake me up when you wake up?"

"Is it because you're physically incapable of waking up as early as we do?"

"You know me so well." Yang kissed Johnny before turning and leaving. "Bye, Johnny!"

"Bye, Yang!"

 **(x)**

 **Days 2-30 of Month 1…**

 **(S/N: Each segment break marked with an (x) indicates a new day, and an unbolded (x) means a segment in that day. And by the way, expect plenty of time skips. Fair warning.)**

"Is everyone here?" Adrian asked himself as he did a quick headcount, making sure that there were 28 students. "Yes, they are." Adrian cleared his throat to get everyone's attention. "Okay! Since everyone is here, we will get started on today's training. Go get changed, and follow your group leaders." Adrian motioned to Team JEST, who had come in early and changed beforehand. "Go!" On that command, everyone rushed to the storage facility, which doubled as a locker room, and they came outside soon after. Remembering Adrian's further instructions, they rushed back to their respective group leaders, who began leading their groups through the courtyard.

"So what're we doing first?" Ruby innocently asked Thomas as she struggled to keep up. She was used to the weights, but Thomas was going faster than she was, so she had to try to keep up.

"First, we're doing an obstacle course _without_ the weights. Then, after a small break, we'll do it again with the weights," Thomas responded.

"Shouldn't be _too_ hard," Neptune offered.

"True Blue, I helped set up the course. There are four individual courses, one for each group."

"True Blue?"

"Roll with it. We're here!" Thomas and his group stopped in front of an obstacle course. "Now," Thomas turned to his group and began removing his weights, "watch how I do it." Once Thomas got his weights off, he jumped in the course and began running it, with more than ease. Simultaneously, his fellow group leaders were showing their respective groups how to successfully run their courses.

Jump.

Roll over.

Slide.

Corkscrew.

Flip over.

That pattern was continued for about two more cycles before Thomas reached the end. He jogged back over to his group, and smirked when he saw their dumbfounded faces. "Who's first?"

(x)

"Ow!" Nikolas winced as his shoulder popped when he rolled it. The nickel-haired teen sighed. "Is it time for our break?"

"Yes, actually. Since you were the last one to complete the course, when we got the break depended entirely on you. Although," Thomas snickered, "I never saw a crash and burn _that_ bad before."

"Shut up! Just because Cymon's cool with you doesn't mean I have to show respect!"

"You really don't. I honestly don't care. Now, get up. We'll wait for the other teams to complete their course before we break for a snack. You guys _did_ bring snacks, right?"

"Do cookies count?" Ruby innocently raised her hand.

"If _I_ brought cookies, then yes, they count." Thomas looked over at Johnny's group, which was the next to finish with Aaron. Then Thomas looked over at Sam's group, who ended with Cymon. Finally, Eric's group ended with Iris. " _Now_ it's break time!"

Everyone immediately dispersed and met up with their teammates in the other groups and they immediately began chatting. Some even went to the storage room and came out with bags of lunch seconds later, Teams JEST, RWBY, and JNPR included. While Team JEST began eating lunch that their mother oh-so-kindly prepared for them (old habits die hard), the other teams began eating lunches that they made themselves. "Can I have a cheese puff?" Yang eyed Johnny's bag of Cheese Doodles.

Johnny shrugged and handed the bag over to Yang, having eaten enough cheese puffs. Yang greedily took it and began eating. "The juice box is mine though." To further emphasize his point, Johnny took a sip out of his juice box with the straw that came attached.

"That's fair."

"Blake, you want some tuna sandwich? I think my mom made too much for me," Eric offered.

"Yes, please," Blake smiled as she received half of Eric's sandwich.

"I wouldn't drink that much coffee at a time like this, Weiss," Sam warned.

"It's fine. Not that much sugar in here anyway," Weiss dismissed as she drank from her thermos.

Thomas and Ruby said nothing as they shared Thomas' cookies, then Ruby's cookies. "Hey, guys!" The group turned to see Cymon walk up to them with his team. He held up a brown paper bag. "Mind if we eat with you?"

"Not at all, my friend," Thomas replied.

"Thanks. This is my team, by the way." Cymon nodded over to his team as they sat down. "That's Iris." Cymon pointed at a purple-haired girl, who cheerfully waved at the group. The others couldn't resist smiling as they waved back. "That's her boyfriend, Aaron." The ash-haired male nodded respectfully at the Rogers. "And finally, her brother, Nikolas. I call him Nick, Aaron calls him Niko, and Iris calls him Nicky."

"Was that necessary?" Nikolas complained.

"Shut up."

"Welcome to the group, Niko!" Johnny jovially clapped his new friend on the shoulder, who responded by smiling back.

"What're your weapons?" Ruby excitedly asked.

"You'll see our weapons at the tournament," Nikolas replied. "I'd show you mine, but it requires my Semblance, and this is one class I _don't_ want to fail."

"That's fair," Thomas said as he ate a cookie.

The three teams were chatting for a little longer, before Adrian called, "Break's over! Finish up and get back to training!"

"Let's go, guys," Eric called to his family, all of whom nodded and got to their feet.

"See you in a bit guys. And don't forget your weights!" Johnny instructed as the group leaders left.

(x)

Soon after, at the end of the day, everyone was complaining about how sore their muscles were. Johnny had to carry Yang back as her legs were too sore (bridal style per Yang's command). "Seriously, this training will toughen you up, Yang."

"Are you saying that you don't like carrying me?" Yang teasingly asked Johnny, despite her pain.

"I didn't say that!"

"You want me to let you down, now, Rosebud?" Thomas asked as he gave Ruby a piggyback ride, per her command.

"Not yet! Onward!" Ruby commanded.

Thomas sighed as he kept going, eliciting cheers from the young leader.

"Are you _sure_ you don't want me to carry you? Really, it's no trouble," Eric offered Blake when he saw her struggling to walk right (don't read too much into that).

"I'm fine, Eric," Blake dismissed.

Eric shrugged. "If you say so, Bella. Just let me know if you want me to carry you."

A couple of minutes passed before Blake sighed and offered her arm to Eric, who took it and wrapped his own arm around Blake's shoulders, supporting her as she walked.

 **(x)**

"If I see you're not jogging, there will be hell to pay!" Adrian called as he watched his students, wearing their weights, jog around the courtyard.

"How...much...longer?!" Cymon panted as he stopped and placed his hands on his knees and bent over, gasping for breath.

"Just a couple more laps!" Sam called over her shoulder. "This is to get you used to your weights; at the end of this week, your weights will feel like a second skin!"

"I hope you're right!" Weiss panted as she kept going.

"You okay, Weiss?" Fox asked as he approached her and slowed down so he was going at the same pace as her.

"I'll be fine; don't let me keep you!" Fox nodded and moved forward. Some people had already gotten used to their weights, while the others had yet to.

"Aaaaaand… we're done," Sam called as she stretched and let go. Everyone displayed signs of relief, until Sam spoke up again. "With the warm-up! Push-up positions, go!"

"Your family...is not...human!" Ren said as he gasped for breath, but still followed Sam's instructions.

"Did I say you could stop?!" Everyone in Sam's group, Sam included, shifted their attention over at Eric, who had caught Sun slacking off.

"No, sir! Sorry, sir!" Sun yelled as he strained to hold his plank drill.

"Good! 20 more seconds, monkey boy!"

"I'm going easy on you guys," Sam informed after everyone managed to tear their eyes away from the debacle.

As if to further emphasize her point, Johnny yelled, "Jaune, I swear to God, if I see you _not_ exercising again, I will _make_ you do the exercises 10 MORE TIMES _EACH_!"

"I'm sorry, I'm not stopping!" Jaune shouted as he increased the pace of his curl-ups.

"Keep up, Nikos!" Their attention was turned to Thomas, who was doing pull-ups on a horizontal bar next to Pyrrha, who was struggling to keep up. "Just because we're friends does NOT mean I will go easy on you!"

"I'm trying!"

"I'm sorry?!"

"I mean, I'm trying, SIR!"

"That's better!"

"Y'see?" Sam said. "Now, push-ups! Keep going till I say not to!"

(x)

"Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow," Cardin complained all the way back to Beacon. "If I'm being honest, guys, I regret _ever_ qualifying for the tournament," Cardin said to his team, all of whom showed signs of agreement.

"We have to go through three whole months of this?!" Jaune complained to Pyrrha, who was walking with her arms nearly touching the ground.

"I hope not," Pyrrha winced when she tried to raise her arms to comfort Jaune. She relaxed a bit when Jaune wrapped an arm around her.

"My stomach hurts now. Thanks for that, Johnny," Jaune grumbled under his breath.

"Let's hope tomorrow brings an easier challenge."

"Yeah. It might not happen, but we can hope."

 **(x)**

"Keep going! This is to build up your endurance!" Adrian called as he observed the students follow drills that his children (God bless them) set up in his example: currently, the groups were practicing their kicks so those that didn't have any experience with kicking would find it easier to do.

"Yessir!" The entire class collectively called.

"Don't stop, guys!" Eric warned as he seamlessly kicked the air in front of him multiple times with his right leg, then switched over to his left leg.

"You got it, boss man!" Nora cheerfully replied as she followed Eric's example.

"And...stop!" Adrian shouted, causing some students to stop mid-kick. He looked at his scroll to see what time it was, then looked back at the students. "Break time, kids. You know the drill."

Now, as a result of the daily exercises, the students kept getting less sore each day, and they eventually got used to the weights. "Johnny, was it necessary to yell at me the other day?" Jaune nervously asked his (temporary) friend/drill sergeant.

"Completely, because if I didn't, you'd be slacking off, and you wouldn't improve," Johnny smiled at Jaune, making the poor student nervous. "Now hurry up; this is one of the times where I _won't_ yell at you." Jaune decided to jog ahead and walk at the same pace as Johnny to get his lunch.

"Can you guys believe the month's almost over already?" Eric asked, marveled at how time flew so fast.

"Seriously? Barely felt like a week," Blake remarked.

"Yep! Tomorrow, we're starting a new type of exercise, all for the second month," Sam pitched in.

"Care to tell us?" Weiss raised an eyebrow.

"Nope," Thomas smirked.

"C'mon, Tommy! Pleeeeeeeease?" Ruby pleaded as she stared at Thomas with puppy-dog eyes, as the male tried his best to look away.

"Don't look, don't look, don't look," Thomas told himself.

"Who wants cookies?!" Ren called as he held up an extra bag.

 _Thank you!_ Thomas thought as he walked ahead of Ruby and got the bag of cookies. He then handed the entire bag over to Ruby, who took it and forgot about what she was going to ask Thomas.

"I can't wait for tomorrow," Johnny mused as he chomped on a cheese puff.

"Same," Eric added before taking a bite out of his tuna salad.

"Why? What's tomorrow?" Yang asked as she sat down next to Johnny.

"You'll see," Team JEST simultaneously said, scaring the yellow-haired brawler.

 **(x)**

"Don't stop!" Adrian instructed as he ran in front of his students, making them follow him to an unspecified area. "We're almost there!"

"Yessir!" The entire class called.

For a couple more minutes, the class jogged before Adrian stopped. "We're here."

"Where's 'here', exactly, sir?" Jaune asked aloud.

"Follow me and you'll see." Adrian and his kids began walking through an open field, the others following their example. In the distance, Adrian saw his wife sitting on a bench next to a bunch of boxes. "Lana!" Adrian waved at his wife, who cheerfully waved back. "Go to Mrs. Rogers, kids. She'll explain everything."

"Yessir!" With that, the class began running to their instructor's significant other.

"Good, everyone's here," Lana smiled kindly at the kids, making them feel at ease. "Take off your weights, meet with your teams, and come up to me when I call you. And bring your weights." After everyone had removed their weights, Lana called, "Team JEST!" The called team grabbed their weights and walked up to Lana, who took the weights and dumped them in an empty box. She brought up another box that was labeled, 'Team JEST'. When they took the box back to their spot, Lana called, "Team RWBY!" The next team followed the cycle, and so did the other teams she called up. "Open your boxes, and follow Team JEST's example."

"Yes, ma'am!" The other teams watched Team JEST as they opened their box and took out...weights? The siblings slipped the weights on and stood up, ready for instructions.

"Wait, what?" Yang blinked in confusion. She looked towards her team's box, then back at her team, who nodded at her to open it. Deciding to go for it, Yang opened the box from the top and reached in. About two seconds later, she pulled out a pair of brown wristbands and brown boots. She slipped them on, and was more than surprised to feel that these new 'weights' weren't weights at all. "These are light…" Yang remarked as she put them on.

"That's because," Eric called from the side, "you all got used to the weights, so now you'll be able to naturally hit harder. These new wristbands and boots are just there to complete your outfits."

"So this is what you guys were all hyped up for?" Cardin asked as his team pulled on their new gear.

"Nope," Thomas said as he pointed a finger to the sky. " _That_ is."

Cardin, as well as the class, looked up, and their eyes and jaws dropped when they saw an Atlesian airship descending upon them, landing just in front of the class (near where Lana was). As the airship opened and a man stepped out, Adrian walked to the airship, arms wide open as of to greet an old friend. "General Ironwood! Glad you were able to come."

"Good to see you, Adrian," James Ironwood, the General of the Atlesian Military, said as he shook Adrian's hand. "Sorry about the delay. 4 went missing, so we had to replace them."

"Understandable." Adrian turned towards the dumbfounded students. "I assume you all know who this is?" The class broke out of their stupor and collectively nodded. "Good. I called in a favor, and General Ironwood is now giving each of you your own personal training robot."

"But why?" Weiss called.

"For your benefit. For you to be able to create new moves, or improve old ones."

"Let me take over, Adrian," Ironwood said as he stepped in front of the trainer. "These robots," Ironwood gestured to the training bots as they were being unloaded from the airship by some members of the Atlesian military, "are indestructible, but cannot fight back. That, combined with their ability to respond to any training-related command given to them, make them ideal training partners."

"And we each get our own?" Jaune asked.

"That is correct. Go to a robot, and place your hand on its chest. That'll register your fingerprints into the robot, and then the robot will follow your commands only."

With that, as well as a nod of confirmation from Adrian, the students got up and walked to a random robot, and placed their hands on their respective robot's chest. After that, the robots were activated, and Adrian motioned for them to start. "James, we need to talk to you," Adrian said in a hushed tone as Lana joined him.

"Of course." The three began walking around the field, Adrian watching the students as they trained with their robots. "What's this about?"

"It's about the four robots that went missing, according to you. What do you think happened?" Adrian crossed his arms as he observed Johnny skillfully complete a combo with his swords.

"Our security footage showed several White Fang members enter the room. Unfortunately, when they did, the footage was damaged. After it came to, the four robots I said were gone."

"But why? What purpose would the White Fang have for Atlas training robots?" Lana asked.

"Maybe they need the technology," Adrian offered.

"Possibly. Or it could be something more," Ironwood agreed. "Let's not dwell on it now; as I recall, Adrian, you have a class to teach."

"Indeed I do. Take care, James. And if I were, I'd try to fix this issue as soon as I can." With a handshake for Adrian and a bow to Lana, Ironwood turned and went back to his airship, with the vehicle departing seconds after. "Let's get back to work," Adrian said to Lana, who smiled and nodded.

 **(x)**

"Excellent," Cinder, accompanied by Emerald and Mercury, said as she walked around the newly-acquired Atlesian training bots. "We'll inject the blood into them soon."

"Remind me again just what exactly you plan on doing with the blood?" Mercury asked.

Cinder sighed in annoyance. "I'm creating my own version of Beacon's top-tier team. Fight fire with fire."

"Okay, and how do you plan on making them into near-exact copies of them?"

"I have my ways. Have your men finished the reprogramming?"

Mercury turned to the White Fang member that was overseeing the reprogramming. "Are you guys done yet?"

"Just finished, sir," the member replied.

"They're done," Mercury remarked to Cinder.

"So we heard," Emerald cut in.

"Both of you, be quite." Cinder handed them the vials. "You know what to do."

"Gotcha/Yes, ma'am," Mercury and Emerald respectively said. They walked up to the robots and injected them with the blood vials; the first robot got Johnny's blood; the second got Eric's blood, etc.

"Done," Mercury said as he and Emerald walked back to Cinder. "What now?"

"Now we wait."

 **(x)**

 **End of Month 1...**


	15. Chapter 15: Top-Tier Training―Part 2

**Team JEST**

 **Chapter 15: Top-Tier Training-Part 2: Month 2**

 **S/N: This is part 2 of 3.**

 **A/N: We don't own RWBY.**

 **(x)**

 **Month 2…**

"Why aren't we training with the robots today? And why are we in the forest?" Blake asked as she and her group followed their class leader.

"It's a different kind of exercise today. We'll get back to the robots tomorrow," Eric replied as he led his team through the forest. Eric stopped, causing everyone else to stop as well. He turned to the group and said, "For today, we'll be doing a team-building exercise."

"Then shouldn't we be with our teams?" Sun asked.

"Sorry. This is a _group_ -building exercise. Call it a...scavenger hunt, if you will."

"Scavenger hunt?" Velvet asked nervously.

"Do you know where your weapons are?" At that everyone checked themselves for their weapons, and were alarmed when they didn't find them. "Don't worry, they're fine. You," Eric pointed to the group, "have to find your weapons _as a team_. For example, can I have a volunteer?" Nora, Velvet, Sun, and Blake's hands were the first to go up. "Ms. Belladonna, thank you for volunteering." Blake walked up and stood next to Eric. "We'll start with my twin knives―"

"Do they have names?" Nora called.

"...I'm sorry?"

"Your weapons! And Johnny's weapons! Thomas' too! I already know what Sam's are called."

"Um, yeah, they do."

"What are they?"

"My knives are called Hidden Leaf, Johnny's swords are called Sunsteel Blazer, and Thomas' swords are called Clockwork Compression. Happy?"

"Very!"

"Okay. We'll start with my Hidden Leaf. Blake," Eric turned to his partner, who was listening intently, "where do you think my weapons would be, and why?"

Blake thought for a second. "Because of their name, they would have to be in a tree, most likely near this area because you stopped here specifically."

"Okay, that's some good logic. Now, which tree?"

Blake scanned the horizon before finding a subtly hidden pair of sheathed knives with brown handles lying on a branch, really close to the leaves. "There!" Blake pointed.

"Sun, go get them." Without a word, Sun began climbing the tree like a monkey (pun intended) and retrieved the knives once he found them. When Sun came back down with Eric's knives in hand, he ran back to Eric and gave him the knives. " _That's_ what I mean by working as a team. Only you'll have to guess which weapon belongs to which person. Now, get ready…" Everyone got ready to run, breaking up into groups of 3, (Velvet, Sun, and Blake on one team, and Nora, Dove, and Iris on the other). "...GO!" Each team split up into separate sections of the forest.

(x)

"Where are we going, Johnny?" Coco cautiously asked as Johnny led their group through the forest.

"We, my friend, are going underground," Johnny cheerfully replied.

"Wait, what?"

"Right here!" Johnny stopped next to a tree before turning around and facing the group. "You guys have to work as a team, find your weapons, and guess who they belong to. My weapons included."

"But if we're going underground, why are we here?" Cardin called.

"Go around this tree once." Everyone looked at each other questioningly. "Do it." Noticing the change in tone in the leader's voice, the group went to the tree Johnny was standing at and went around it once. When they did a full cycle, they were beyond surprised to see an opening leading down to below the forest, complete with stone steps.

"Well, you only live once," Yang cheerfully replied before she walked down the steps, with Jaune, Coco, Cardin, Sage, and Aaron soon following her (in that order).

"Woah!" Aaron shouted as he slipped on something on the steps. Sage turned around calmly and caught his fellow exchange student before he could get hurt. "Thanks, Sage." Sage nodded before turning to see what Aaron tripped on.

"Who's is this?" Sage asked aloud as he held up a mace and turned to the group.

"That's mine!" Cardin replied as he walked through and obtained his weapon.

"One down, six to go," Jaune sighed. "This is gonna take a while."

(x)

"Alright, guys, get searching! Your weapons won't find themselves," Thomas remarked as he and his group stood outside of Beacon Academy.

"Can we get a hint?" Ruby asked as she raised her hand like she was in class.

"Your weapons are inside the school. And whoever finds mine will _not_ have to train tomorrow." Everyone looked towards each other excitedly. "But you have to work as a team. Good luck!" Thomas waved before turning and leaving.

"Let's go!" Ruby, like the leader she was, began leading the temporary team through Beacon.

"What do we do about Thomas' weapons?" Pyrrha asked as she followed Ruby.

"We'll find our weapons first, then we'll split up and look for Thomas' weapons! Whoever finds it first wins!"

"That sounds fair," Neptune pitched in.

"Guys?" The group turned to see Sky holding up a lance and a shield. "Is this yours, Nikos?"

"Thank you, Sky," Pyrrha said as she claimed her weapons from the male.

"Don't bother looking for my weapons, guys. Mine are dependent on my Semblance," Nikolas said.

"So are Iris', right?" Neptune asked.

"That's right, so that's one less weapon we need to find."

"Let's get looking!"

(x)

"So if everyone else gets to go to cool places," Cymon asked his girlfriend as their group followed Sam, "why are we still in the courtyard?"

"Because they had dibs on those cool places," Sam replied. "Ah, we're here." Sam turned and smiled at the group. "Work as a team, find your weapons, all those things. Good luck!" Sam sauntered off, and Weiss took charge.

"Let's start looking, guys!" Weiss called before turning and walking off to an area, searching for weapons. The others began looking for their weapons, too, or anyone else's. "I found something!" Weiss searched a bush and pulled out a single bracer. "Who's is this?!"

"That'd be mine, Weiss!" Cymon called as he made his way over to the heiress, taking his bracer back and placing it on his right arm. "That wasn't too hard! Let's find the rest!"

"Alright!"

(x)

 **Later that day…**

"Did you guys find your weapons?" Eric asked as he waited for his group on the outside of the forest.

"Yep," Sun said as he wiped his forehead with his arm.

"Let's see." Everyone held out their weapons, and Eric checked them. "Everyone seems to have their weapons! Except you, Iris."

"Mine are Semblance-based."

"Like Nikolas'?" Iris nodded. "Okay, then. Good job, guys. And be honest; did you work as a team or not?"

"We worked in teams of three. Does that count?" Velvet nervously asked her group leader.

"It counts." Velvet visibly relaxed. "Let's go back, guys. Day's over."

"Are we going to regroup with everyone else?" Blake asked as she caught up to Eric, the entirety of their group tailing them.

"Nope. Soon as we get back, you're dismissed."

"Why?" Sun asked.

"Because we don't know how long the others will take, so we don't want to waste this time for you guys."

"That's considerate."

"Quite, Monkey Boy."

(x)

"Welcome back!" Johnny smiled as he spread his arms to his sides, eliciting glares from his group. "I trust you found your weapons?" Everyone held their weapons up: Cardin and his mace, Yang and her Ember Celica, Jaune and his Crocea Mors, etc. "And my weapons?" Yang walked forward and handed Johnny his Sunsteel Blazers, which he took and sheathed on his back. "Great! Let's go, guys. And before you say anything, you're dismissed when we get back."

"Thank you!" Jaune groaned.

(x)

"Hey," Thomas said with a smile once everyone stepped out of Beacon. Ruby cheerfully greeted him back, while everyone looked extremely nervous. "Whoa, why so serious? Did you find all your weapons?" In response, everyone held up their weapons. "Well, good. So what's the-?"

"We couldn't find your weapons," Ruby blurted out.

"You're saying they were stolen?"

"No," Pyrrha said while rubbing her arm in a nervous state. "We're saying that we couldn't find them."

"Oh, my," Thomas said in mock concern, pulling out his guns while his group watched in shock. "How _ever_ did that happen?"

"You never hid your weapons!" Nikolas pointed an accusatory finger at his group leader.

"Oh no, I did. I just took them back while you all searched for _your_ weapons."

"Why?" Ruby squeaked in anguish.

"Because everybody else is training tomorrow, and you're no special yourselves, exchange student or no. Now," Thomas clapped his hands. "Let's go. You're dismissed."

Everyone left, grumbling that they lost their chance to skip out on training, save for Ruby and Pyrrha. "Sooo," Ruby said while acting innocent, " _are_ we training tomorrow?"

"Yep." Ruby groaned. "Sorry, but if you think _I'm_ bad, just remember: I did this with my dad... For the majority of my life. You all got it easy."

"True," Ruby said while looking down in slight shame.

"Hey," Thomas placed his hands on Ruby's shoulders, prompting Ruby to face him, "I would say, 'It's not you, it's me,' but we all know that's a lie. It goes, 'It's not you nor me; it's my dad.'" Ruby and Pyrrha laughed at this joke. "Pizza on me later, okay, Rosebud?"

"Okay!" Ruby kissed Thomas and happily walked back to Beacon.

"I get why you're making us train," Pyrrha said, nudging Thomas to get his attention. "It's because the day we miss what everybody else learns, that one thing could be the key to our victories."

"That...is exactly right." Pyrrha smiled. "Anyway," Thomas and Pyrrha started walking back to the school, "how are you and Jaune doing?"

"I can't be any happier than when I'm with him."

"Good to hear. And is he getting better? Combatwise, I mean."

"Yep! I feel that this 3-month training regimen and extra lessons with me will help him get far."

"Great! Alright, enjoy your rest." Thomas waved goodbye to Pyrrha as he entered his room.

"Goodbye!" Pyrrha waved back before she entered Team JNPR's room.

(x)

"Did you guys find it, yet?!" Weiss called as she kept searching for her Myrtenaster.

"Not yet!" Ren called back as he searched in a bush. He peeked his head up as he thought of something; if Weiss' weapon was silver, then wouldn't it be camouflaged with something of similar color? Following this hypothesis, Ren walked around the area, searching for a small rock, maybe a boulder. When he found one, he circled around it, and came back around holding Weiss' Myrtenaster. "I found it!"

"Thanks, Ren." Weiss smiled as she took her weapon back.

"Good job." Sam's sudden appearance caused Weiss and Ren to jump and scream. "Looks like everyone has their weapons! You're dismissed now." Everyone took the cue and left for Beacon Academy, tired after the day they had (as usual). Sam scoffed to herself as she followed them. "Babies," she said under her breath.

 **(x)**

"Do you kids know why today is a special day?" Adrian asked as he paced in front of the class. He turned to face the class and smiled when he saw them thinking long and hard. When a hand went up, he said, "Yes, Scarlet?"

"Is it your birthday?" Scarlet asked.

"No, but good guess." Another hand shot up. "Yes, Yatsuhashi?"

"It's your wedding anniversary?" Yatsuhashi asked.

"No, that's in a couple of months." A third hand shot up. "Yes, Ruby?"

"Can we get a hint?" Ruby asked.

"Sure. It involves this class."

Eric rolled his eyes as he raised his hand. "It's the halfway point of our three-month training regimen."

"Correct, Eric. Today marks a month-and-a-half since you started your training. And judging from how everyone in the class is still here, that means that none of you quit."

"Wait, we could've quit?" Cardin spoke up.

"Now you can't. So tell me, kids," Adrian crossed his arms and smiled, "how should we celebrate this momentous occasion?" A hand shot up from behind Johnny. "Yes, Jaune?"

"We could...have today off?" Jaune sheepishly asked.

"I'm not going to give you today off." Jaune and the class visibly deflated. "Don't lose your hope _too_ fast. I said I wouldn't _give_ you the day off. Jaune, come to the front of the class." Jaune nervously stepped up to the front of the class, stopping in front of Adrian. "Eric, come here." Eric stepped up as well. "Jaune, if you can beat Eric, here, in a duel with tournament rules, I'll give the entire class _two_ days off." The entire class, sans the Rogers, began talking excitedly. " _But_ ," the class' attention went back to Adrian, "if Eric wins, the entire class gets two extra days of training. And if _anyone_ pressures Jaune," Adrian glared at Cardin, who flinched slightly under the glare, "then the class gets two days more of training regardless."

"Ready, Jaune?" Eric smirked as he drew his knives and got into a battle stance.

"As ready as I can be, I guess," Jaune replied nervously as he drew his sword and activated his shield.

"Remember your training, Jaune."

"I'll try."

"No, you won't try." Eric rushed forward and slashed Jaune with his knives, who instinctively blocked with his shield. "You _will._ Otherwise, you'll lose."

"Right! Focusing now!" Jaune pushed Eric back with his shield, and slashed at Eric with his own sword. Eric nimbly backflipped out of range, and threw his knives at the leader of Team JNPR. Jaune expertly swatted them away, then dashed at Eric, slashing at him once more and landing it. Eric ducked under the second slash and slid through Jaune's legs, picking up his knives as he did so. At Jaune's back, Eric landed a successful knife stab. When Eric pulled the knife out, he kicked Jaune away, causing the teen to land flat on his face before getting up and facing Eric. The two charged each other, and Jaune blocked Eric's knives with his shield once more. This time, Jaune pushed upwards, stunning Eric, before landing multiple slashes on the Faunus. Before Jaune could land the last hit, Eric swiftly stabbed Jaune in the chest with a knife. Since Jaune had no armor to block the blow, he was forced to take it. Jaune powered through the pain and landed the final slash on Eric, knocking the cat Faunus down.

"Stop!" Adrian called as Eric got back to his feet. He peered down at his scroll, and he raised his eyebrows when he saw how much Aura was left in both fighters. "Enjoy your days off, kids."

Everyone stood dumbfounded for a couple of seconds before erupting into cheers. The class surrounded Jaune and were clapping him on the back, giving him thumbs up; at one point, Cardin even lifted Jaune on his shoulder and successfully started a 'Jauney Boy!' chant. As Jaune was carried away by the class, except for Johnny, Eric, Sam, and Thomas, Adrian smiled at Eric. "You really wanted those two days, didn't you?"

"What can I say?" Eric smiled back as he stretched. "They earned it."

"How much were you holding back, Eric?" Thomas asked.

"You saw how I could've easily broken my knife inside of Jaune on two occasions?" Thomas nodded. "I'd say I was going about 99% of the way."

"Just the fact that Jaune could match you 99% of the way shows how far he came," Johnny remarked.

"It does, doesn't it?" Sam said as she smiled, proud of how skilled Jaune became. "Although I think Pyrrha's lessons may have helped with that."

"Enough talk! Let's go spend the next two days with our significant others!" Thomas suggested.

"I couldn't agree more, Thomas," Adrian said as he smiled at his son.

"Speaking of, I need to talk to Yang, so I'll see you guys later!" Johnny said as he turned to leave, but not without waving.

"I'll take my leave now," Thomas said as he followed suit, Eric and Sam soon following.

(x)

 _Gotta find Yang, gotta find Yang,_ Johnny thought to himself as he walked around Beacon. "Yang!" Johnny called as he searched for his girlfriend.

Johnny stopped in his tracks when a pair of arms wrapped around him from behind. Johnny looked over his shoulder and smiled when he saw Yang's smiling face. "You called?" Yang asked, not losing her smile.

"Guess what tomorrow is." Johnny maneuvered himself so he was facing, and hugging, Yang.

"Total shot in the dark here, but is it our three-month anniversary?"

"Your shots must always land in the dark." Johnny pulled back so he could properly talk to Yang. "What should we do tomorrow? You wanna be cliche and have a date? Or do you want to make a plan for tomorrow? Or wing it, as usual?"

"You know my answer already."

"Wing it, then."

"Wait, there's more."

"Oh?"

"I have a challenge: for the remainder of today, and tomorrow, we both go without our weapons."

"What's your game?"

"If I told you, you wouldn't play."

"'My choice depends on the quality of the game, actually.' Thomas said that."

"When he was five?"

"No, last year."

"Oh."

"So what happens if we _do_ have our weapons for tomorrow?"

"The loser doesn't get their anniversary gift." _That should buy me time to get a gift._

"High stakes. All right, you're on!"

"May the best partner win." Yang held her hand out for a professional handshake, which Johnny shook. "And we'll give the other our weapons, just in case." Wordlessly, Johnny removed his swords from his back and handed them to Yang, who handed Johnny her Ember Celica in kind.

"I will see you later," Johnny said as he turned to leave.

Yang turned around and walked the other direction. _Now who do I ask for help?_ As Yang patrolled the corridors of Beacon Academy, she pondered her choices. Definitely not Blake. Ruby was a possibility, but not a very good one. Weiss was a probable choice. Yang's train of thought came to a halt when she saw Thomas chatting with Ruby. _Of course! Who better to ask than one of the people who's known Johnny the longest?!_ "Thomas!" Yang called over the blue-haired teen.

Thomas looked over at Yang and waved, but was confused when she made a 'come here' gesture. "I gotta go, Rosebud. We'll get some pizza later, okay?"

"Okay!" Ruby gave Thomas a kiss on the cheek before he turned and walked towards Yang.

"Ruby!" Team RWBY's leader looked to her right (the opposite of where Thomas went) and saw Johnny motioning for her to walk with him. When she got to him, he nervously rubbed his arm. "I need your help."

"With what?" Ruby asked as she rocked back and forth.

"It's mine and Yang's three-month anniversary tomorrow, and I don't know what to get her!"

"Oh, why didn't you say so?!"

"Do you have any ideas?"

"Well, I can't really help you with what _exactly_ to get for Yang. _But_ ," Ruby quickly threw in when she saw Johnny's mood change from hopefulness to nervousness, then back to hopefulness, "I can help you start!"

"You have no idea how much you're helping me, Ruby!"

"By the way, where are your swords?" Johnny told Ruby about the challenge, who then began thinking. "Well, if you have her gauntlets, why don't you...give them an upgrade?" Ruby suggested.

"Like what?"

"Maybe you could find a way to give it more range?"

"Hmm. I _do_ know a guy. I'll do that! Thanks, Ruby!" Johnny gave Ruby a short hug, which the younger Huntress-in-training returned. "I'll see what I can do with these!" Johnny called as he ran off.

"Good luck!" Ruby called back as she waved at the disappearing Johnny.

(x)

"You want me to help you find the perfect gift for Johnny?" Thomas asked as he raised an eyebrow. "Shouldn't you know him by know?"

"I _do_ know him. I just don't know _what_ to get him," Yang explained.

"By the way, just throwing this out here, but where the hell are your gauntlets?" Thomas pointed at Yang's bare wrists, which she rubbed self-consciously. She wasn't used to _not_ having them.

"I issued Johnny a challenge, and whoever loses doesn't get their anniversary gift."

"I take it Johnny has your weapons and you have his?" Yang nodded. "There you go! You have the basis for your gift!"

"I don't follow."

"It's simple. I'll give you the address of a guy we know, and you head into the city today and give Johnny's swords an upgrade. And tell him, 'Thomas says hi, you old fox.' He'll understand."

"Okay, but what upgrade should I give Johnny's swords?"

"I had something in mind." Thomas explained what he had planned for his brother's swords. "I would've done it, but it would be more meaningful if you did it. But at least tell him it was _my_ design."

"Obviously. Thanks, Thomas! You're the best!" Yang hugged Thomas, who chuckled as he returned it.

"You better get going; not that much time left."

"Right! See ya!" Yang waved at Thomas before running off.

 **(x)**

 **The Next Evening…**

"Today was a good day," Johnny mused as he and Yang walked back to their common room, arms linked.

"Yeah," Yang agreed as she rested her head on Johnny's shoulder. "And _I_ can't believe we actually spent the whole day without our weapons."

"So we're both getting gifts?" Yang nodded. "Can I go first?" Yang nodded again. "Okay! I'm just going to head to my room to get your gift. I'll be right back." With that, Johnny left the room and came back in a couple of minutes, holding a gift-wrapped box. "Here you go! I hope you'll like it."

Yang grabbed the box and wasted no time in mutilating the gift wrap. When the box itself was uncovered, Yang opened it and pulled out her gift. She stared at Johnny's gift to her in surprise. "Your gift to me is my weapons?"

"Ruby gave me the idea to upgrade them, so I talked to a guy. He told me that now, if you put more power behind your shot, the bullet will launch farther, fly faster, and definitely hit harder. And I also made it compatible with these," Johnny explained as he pulled something from his back. It was a pair of shotgun belts, complete with shotgun shells. What differentiated these from her normal and explosive ones were that these were blue. "Ice shells. You can freeze your opponent and set them up."

"Aw, thanks, Johnny! Now my gift sucks in comparison."

"I'm sure I'll use it."

"Of course you will." Yang smirked as she pulled Johnny's gift out from under the common room's couch. "They're yours, after all."

"Excuse me?" Yang motioned for Johnny to open the gift. When he did, he pulled out his swords. "What's different about these guys?"

"There should be a button on the hilts of the swords." Johnny looked for them and found the buttons on the hilts, like Yang said.

"What happens if I press these?"

"See for yourself." Johnny shrugged and pressed the buttons. He raised an eyebrow when the crossguards of his swords disappeared into the blade, and openings appeared at the bottom of the hilts. "Now insert one sword into the other." When Johnny did, he noticed how easily the sword slid in. When it went in all the way, the sword that he inserted the other into doubled in blade length.

"Woah!" Johnny shouted as his blade grew in his hands.

"Ta-da!" Yang gestured to the sword. "Now you have a one-handed longsword!"

"Was this Thomas' idea?"

"Yes, actually."

"I love that guy."

"So it's back to work tomorrow, huh?"

Johnny sighed. "Yep. We better get to bed if we want to get up early." Johnny gave Yang a kiss before he left. "G'night!" Johnny called as he ran out of the room.

"See ya tomorrow!" Yang called back before heading back to her room, humming contently to herself.

 **(x)**

"I hope you all enjoyed your days off!" Adrian said as the class walked over and took their spots. "We're doing something, new today, and I need some help from one of my class leaders." Johnny's hand shot up immediately. "Thank you, Johnny. You _do_ have the most experience in this next lesson, anyway." Johnny walked up and stood next to Adrian. "What we will be doing today, class, is evaluating how you will do in a 4v1 situation. You won't be doing this in front of the whole class, so there is no reason to be nervous."

"How will the robots fight?" Sun called.

"I had them set to random fighting styles, grouped them in teams depending on their fighting style, and their appearances have been modified to appropriately match the person whose fighting styles they've copied. They were set to work in teams, and at the highest difficulty, beforehand. Did that answer your question, Sun?"

"Yessir!"

"Good. Johnny, let me know whenever you're ready."

Johnny cracked his knuckles, then his neck. He nodded at his dad, who nodded back. Adrian then brought two fingers to his mouth and gave a sharp whistle before stepping back. Following his example, the class moved back simultaneously. As they were facing the forest, they watched as one robot, small in size, came out. The robot then held out its right hand to the side as a scythe formed. It twirled the scythe and slammed it into the ground, mimicking Ruby's stance. The next robot walked out and unsheathed a rapier before mimicking Weiss' stance. The third robot stepped out soon after, drawing a sword from its sheath and cocking it, before mirroring Blake's stance. The last robot followed soon after, donning gauntlets similar to Ember Celica. The 'Yangbot' cocked its weapons before assuming Yang's stance.

"Hey, that's us!" Ruby shouted as she pointed at the robot that held a copy of her weapon.

"This should be interesting," Thomas remarked as he crossed his arms.

Johnny said nothing as he assumed his stance: he bent his knees slightly and kept his right hand at his side, clenched into a fist, while his left hand was up to his face, his index and middle fingers extended. For a moment, 'M. RWBY' did nothing, waiting to see if Johnny made a move. Johnny did nothing. 'M. RWBY' charged at him, at which point Johnny charged at them. Wasting no time, the leader jumped and kicked Rubybot, then jumped off of it and Superman-punched Weissbot before landing and spin-kicking Blakebot. Quickly, Johnny caught the fist that Yangbot sent towards his back, flipping the robot over and kicking it away.

"Yeah! Go, Johnny!" Sam cheered, eliciting similar cheers from the class.

"Sam! I am trying to focus!" Johnny shouted as he turned to her.

"Sorry!" Sam sheepishly called.

Johnny sighed in annoyance before he turned back to face the robots, seeing that Weissbot was approaching alarmingly fast, its Metal Myrtenaster ready to stab the human. Johnny swiftly rolled out of the way before blocking Rubybot's scythe swing. Johnny kicked the Rubybot in the gut, launching it away as it dropped its Steel Rose **(A/N: Subtle weapon name insertion in the fight is subtle)**. Johnny drew his swords and blocked a strike from the Blakebot's Copper Shroud, before kneeing it in the gut and kicking it away. He ducked under a swing from the Yangbot's fist, before turning bringing his leg up high to block the next punch the Yangbot was going to deliver. Johnny smirked at it. "You're not the real deal, so it's okay." The Yangbot said nothing as it increased the pressure. The two remained locked in the makeshift clash, before Johnny turned one of his swords into a gun and shot Yangbot in the foot. As it stumbled, Johnny kicked it away, and watched it flew farther than a circus performer shot from a cannon filled with dynamite. Johnny heard a gunshot from behind him, and narrowly dodged a bullet fired from Steel Rose, then a blade arc shot from Copper Shroud. Johnny turned around to face Weissbot, and blocked the stabs it attempted to send to his torso. Johnny then slashed the robot twice before backflipping and kicking it into the air. He jumped high and kicked it towards the Rubybot and the Blakebot, and watched with a smile as all three robots fell like bowling pins. Johnny turned around to search for Yangbot, only to see that it was right in front of him. That one second of shock costed him, as he was too slow to avoid a blast from its Aluminum Celica right to his face. "DAMN IT!" Johnny screamed as he grabbed his face in pain. He was punched back by Yangbot, and tumbled back a bit before landing on his face. _I can't see!_ Johnny desperately thought to himself as he struggled to get up.

"Halt!" Adrian commanded, making the robots freeze as they were: Rubybot, Weissbot, and Blakebot were getting up, and Yangbot was approaching Johnny. "Okay, class. Johnny's been blinded by the Yangbot, and he lost his eyesight for the remainder of this fight; what does he do now? Raise your hands if you agree with the choice: should he fall back and wait for his eyes to recover?" A quarter of the class raised their hands. "Or should he push on and trust his instincts?" The remaining ¾ of the class raised their hands. "Keep fighting it is, then. Continue!"

Back at the training area, Yangbot resumed its approach to Johnny, who had gotten up, but stumbled due to the lack of eyesight. _Calm down, Johnny._ The leader took a breath as he thought, _You've done this before. Remember what Dad says._ "Calm mind," Johnny whispered as he steadied himself. By this point, 'M. RWBY' had all gotten to him and began circling him, waiting for his next move. "Steady heart. Battle ready." Johnny assumed the stance he did at the beginning of the fight, ready to unsheathe his swords if they were needed. "Sharpen senses. _Focus_." Johnny took a deep breath as he waited for the robots to make a move, his eyes closed. Instinctively, Johnny ducked under a swing from Rubybot's Steel Rose, and retaliated with a successful kick, sending the robot skidding back. He dropped down to dodge Weissbot's stab from its Metal Myrtenaster, and sweeped the robot off its feet, getting back up while the robot did as well. He raised his swords to block the slash from Blakebot's Copper Shroud, pushing up to break from the clash and kicking Blakebot in the gut and sending it back a couple feet. Lastly, he dodged both of the punches that Yangbot sent his way, before backflipping away and shooting Yangbot in the shoulder. Johnny opened his eyes to see bright spots dancing around in his field of vision. He blinked a couple times, and breathed a sigh of relief once his vision cleared completely. That, however, left him open to Blakebot shooting Johnny's swords out of his hands. The swords flew high and far, landing in the dirt in front of Adrian. Adrian calmly picked them up.

"Your weapons are gone, Johnny. What do you do know?"

Johnny smirked as he turned his attention back to the robots. "I use my enemies' weapons against them." Johnny motioned for the robots to attack him, and they fell for the taunt. First, Rubybot launched itself at Johnny using a gunshot from Steel Rose, to which Johnny maneuvered out of the way. Rubybot landed next to Johnny, and began swinging its scythe in a style similar to Ruby's. Johnny dodged all blows, and he caught the scythe as Rubybot tried to slash at him from the top. Johnny elbowed the robot and snatched Steel Rose out of its hands. Johnny spun the scythe, hitting Rubybot numerous times before he slammed the scythe right in front of the robot. Johnny cocked the gun part of the scythe before shooting Rubybot, launching the robot against a tree. Swiftly, Johnny turned himself around and launched himself, turning himself around in the air so the scythe's blade would meet Rubybot's body. Johnny successfully connected the two, and began looping around the tree, bending Steel Rose and trapping Rubybot further in the process. Johnny jumped off the tree and smirked at the trapped robot. "One down."

Johnny turned and faced the remaining robots, reassuming his martial arts stance. Weissbot launched itself at Johnny, Metal Myrtenaster ready to stab him. Johnny moved to the side and grabbed Weissbot as it was about to pass him. He snatched Metal Myrtenaster out of its hands before stabbing it in the ground and launching a wave of ice spikes, heading straight for Weissbot. When it hit, Weissbot was being pushed, and damaged, by the spikes until it was back against a tree next to Rubybot, at which point the spikes enlarged around the tree, trapping Weissbot against it. "Two down."

Calmly, Johnny caught the sword/whip that Blakebot threw at his back without turning around. He pulled on it, and, since it was holding the ribbon, Blakebot flew towards Johnny, who directed the robot into a nearby tree. While the robot was recovering from the hitstun, Johnny dashed to the tree and, still holding the sword, circled the tree twice before jumping up and stabbing the sword into a branch. Since Blakebot (foolishly) didn't let go of the ribbon, the robot was now tied to the tree, and struggling to get out. Johnny turned towards Yangbot and remarked, "Looks like it's you and me, now." Yangbot didn't respond as it cocked its Aluminum Celica and prepared to fight. "Okay, the _real_ Yang is more fun than you. At least _she_ responds."

Johnny drew his Waypoint, aimed, and threw it at the robot, which calmly caught the weapon. Johnny smirked as he disappeared, and reappeared in front of Yangbot and socked it in the face. Yangbot grabbed its face in shock, and was sent skidding back when Johnny kicked it. Yangbot recovered fairly quickly, and cocked its Aluminum Celica again, only to see that the weapons were gone. Yangbot heard a whistle, and looked up to see Johnny holding and waving Aluminum Celica a couple meters away from the robot. Not losing his smirk, Johnny quickly put on the gauntlets and cocked them, assuming Yang's stance after he did so. Without wasting time, Johnny fired two blasts from the gauntlets, one of which was an explosive one. Yangbot blocked the normal one, but was launched back into a tree by the explosive shell. Johnny rushed to it, and began what could only be described as a brutal beat down. With punches enhanced by shotgun blasts, Johnny pummeled the robot deep into the tree, stopping once the robot was nearly all the way in. He checked the ammunition. _Two more, huh?_ Johnny looked up and shot a blast right into the leaves of the tree, causing them all to fall and surround the now-trapped Yangbot. Jumping back, Johnny fired an explosive shot-the last one- and the leaves surrounding the robot caught on fire, surrounding the training robot in a ring of fire. _Good thing they're indestructible._ Johnny took off the gauntlets, and tossed them in front of the tree. He then walked to his dad and held out his hand for his weapons, which were returned to him. He then took back the spot he was in prior to the lesson. He ignored the shocked stares from the class (sans Rogers) from his brutality and his handling of the team.

Adrian snapped his fingers and the robots, after breaking free from their constraints, returned to their training posts. Adrian smiled. "Who's next?"

 **(x)**

"How's it going?" Mercury asked as he observed the Faunus technicians at work.

"We've just about finished sir," a Faunus wearing glasses over his White Fang mask replied.

"You see, Perry, this is why I like you. You tell me what I _want_ to hear."

"That's what I'm here for, sir. But I've got some news regarding the robots, and it's importance is all on you."

"Lay it on me."

"Yes, I would like to hear it." Mercury turned to see Cinder approaching him and Perry.

"Yes, of course, ma'am. One of the soldiers messed up and placed the blood of Eric Rogers in the female android body."

"And?"

"And a spider crawled into the robot, and now the female android has the DNA of an animal and a Faunus."

"Would it affect the robot?"

"Statistically? No, ma'am."

"Then it's not an issue." Cinder looked towards the robots. "At least tell me you've finished."

"Yes, we did, ma'am. The robots have been redesigned and reprogrammed to fight at will. However, the robots aren't indestructible anymore."

"That's all?"

"Yes, that's what it took for the robots to able to use Aura like their human counterparts, and to be able to use voice chips . All they need now is activation, visual data of their human counterparts fighting, and weapons."

"Then what are you waiting for? Activate the first one."

"Yes, ma'am." Perry walked over to the very first robot-the one containing Johnny's DNA-and pressed the button on the back of the neck. For a minute, nothing happened. Then, the robot stirred to life and looked up with creaks and sparks.

The robot scanned the room, before focusing on Cinder. It stepped off of its pedestal before marching over to Cinder. The robot and Cinder stared each other down. After a second, the robot kneeled before Cinder. "I...live to...serve you...my mistress."

Cinder smiled. "Good. What do you remember?"

The robot stood up. "Before that...where is...my...family?"

"They will be with you soon, I promise. Now, tell me, what do you remember?"

"I remember...that I have...the blood of...Johnny Rogers."

"You've only been activated and you already know so much?"

"It is...my purpose...Mistress."

"What is your name?"

"I...do not know."

"I'll give you one. Your name is Jo-"

"No."

"Excuse me?"

"I don't...want to be...named after... _him._ "

"Then what do you suggest your name be?" The robot remained silent. "It's okay. Tell me your name when you're ready. For now, my darling, go back to your pedestal and begin recharging. We have to work on your physical appearance." The robot nodded and marched back to the pedestal it previously occupied. It placed itself back on the pedestal and shut itself off, waiting to be plugged in. Cinder turned to the workers and smiled. "Get to work. We have a lot to complete, and little time to do so."

 **(x)**

 **S/N: We've already got names for the androids and their team. You'll just have to wait until Volume 3 to find out what they are.**

 **A/N: One more chapter for this arc.**


	16. Chapter 16: Top-Tier Training―Part 3

**Team JEST**

 **Chapter 16: Top-Tier Training Part 3**

 **S/N: I'll skip to the end of the training, since I'm pressed for time. Also, it's been awhile since I updated, huh? There's a reason for that. In New York, on April 5th, 2017, the DOE gave a free SAT for high school juniors, which is where Arctic and I fall under. So, in between the updates of our stories, we had to study for the SATs, and I was working on this three-part arc** _ **and**_ **helping Arctic (that sonuvabitch) out with The Tri-Blade Alliance. Other than that, I have no excuse.**

 **A/N: Disclaimer: We don't own RWBY. Only Team JEST and Team CIAN.**

 **(x)**

"I honestly can't believe it," Adrian mused as he paced back and forth in front of his class.

"Believe what, sir?" Ruby asked.

"How far each and everyone of you have come in these past three months." Adrian stopped and looked at the four in front. "Except you guys. You four improved since your last session."

"Thanks, Dad," the four members of Team JEST simultaneously spoke as they rolled their eyes.

"I've forced you to wear weights and do impossible acts with them, which you did. I made each of you fight four training robots simultaneously and win, which you did. And I made you train with each other and hold nothing back, which you did. All that's left to do is put you through one final test, and pass you," Adrian readdressed the class as a whole.

"What's the exam?" Blake asked.

"There are two parts to it, and each will take up one day. The first part is only going to test just how much of my training you'll remember. The _second_ part, however, is the more important part, which you'll have to see." A hand shot up from the crowd. "Yes, Cymon?"

"This is a stupid question, but when are the tests?" Cymon asked as he brought his hand down.

"If it's a stupid question, then don't ask it. The first test is happening now." The class grew alarmed. "Calm down. As always, Team JEST will demonstrate."

"Yessir!" Team JEST called as they prepared themselves.

"Follow me, class." Adrian turned and began walking to the courtyard, the class following him. "And before I forget," Adrian called back as he kept walking, "you're allowed to use your Semblances for this test. Doing so, however, will take points off of your final team score. Is that clear?"

"Yessir!"

"Good. We've arrived." The class surveyed the area in front of them. The courtyard was the same, but there was a path leading to what appeared to be an obstacle course, and waiting areas for the next teams, as well as a Jumbotron-like Scroll for their progress to be monitored. "Team JEST, get ready." The aforementioned team took their spots at the start line. The Jumbotron started up, and the team appeared on the Scroll, as well as a map of the course. "Go!"

In an instant, the four JESTers ran into the forest, each running at the same pace. They rolled over a tree stump, then slid under an uplifted root. They kept running, jumping, and rolling (not in that order throughout), until they reached a waterfall, where they skid to a stop one after another. Johnny peered over the edge of the waterfall (not while he was on it), and saw the steep fall. He looked around for a way to get across, finally resting his eyes on a tree. Johnny nodded at Thomas, who nodded back. Thomas drew his guns, reverted them to their sword forms, and slashed through the bark of the tree. Thomas reverted his gun back, holstered it, and kicked the tree down, creating a tree-bridge across the waterfall.

Once again, Johnny took the lead as he ran across the river, keeping himself balanced on the tree. Eric, Sam, and Thomas followed his example. They kept running through the forest, until Eric's ears perked up. "Johnny!" Eric shouted at Johnny, who took the cue and nodded at Sam, who nodded back.

Sam ran ahead of the others and flipped forward, narrowly avoiding a barrage of arrows coming from both left and right. Then, she corkscrewed through the next barrage. Finally, Sam flipped and twisted through the very last barrage, making the path clear for her brothers/teammates. Johnny ran past Sam and gave her a thumbs up, and she fell back in line when Eric passed her. They continued running until they reached the cliff, where they stopped and peered over the edge. Their goal was right below them; all they had to do was take a leap of faith.

"Eric!" Johnny called. The Rogers Faunus nodded, drew one of his guns, and shot four Earth Dust bullets, one in front of each of his siblings' feet and his own. Immediately, four small stalagmites rose up, and they each broke off a piece. They stood at the edge of the cliff with their makeshift boards at their sides. One by one, they all dived off the cliff.

The first to fall was Thomas, who rode his board down the side of the cliff for ⅔ of the way down, before pushing off said cliff and dive-bombing the rest of the way, landing in a crouch with a heavy thud. He stood up, dusted himself off, and bowed to the cheers of his classmates.

The next to land was Sam, who followed the same strategy as Thomas. Unlike her brother, however, she waited until the last minute before jumping off her board. As it shattered, she landed with a grace that would make even Blake jealous. She curtsied after she straightened up, generating the same amount of applause her eldest brother got.

Third to go was Eric; he simply rode his board with the wind, progressively gaining turbulence. After a quarter of the way down, he jumped off and rocketed towards the ground in a skydiver's position. As he reached terminal velocity, he immediately flipped twice and landed safely on his feet, much like the type of Faunus he is.

Finally, Johnny jumped; he rode his makeshift board all the way down towards the ground, jumping off only when he reached the edge of the cliff. He jumped up high, and landed in a crouch. After a few moments, he stood up straight, his arms out in a gymnastic position.

" _And_ he stuck the landing!" Thomas cheered. As everyone else cheered, he triumphantly pointed a finger at his father. "You owe me 5,000 Lien, Dad!"

"FUCK!" Adrian stomped the ground. "You couldn't have failed, Johnny?!" Johnny gave a slight noise of shock after his father said that.

"Feeling the love, Dad," he sarcastically muttered under his breath, rolling his eyes for greater effect.

"Shouldn't be; I wanted you to lose."

 **(x)**

"Today will be part two of the two-part final exam," Adrian said as he lead the class.

"Where are we going?" Yang asked as she followed the teacher.

"We're almost there, don't worry." Yang fell silent as the class kept walking. "Aaaaand...we've arrived." Adrian stopped in front a statue in the courtyard.

"Wait, this wasn't here before, was it dad?" Thomas asked as he pointed at the statue. The statue in question was chiseled out of stone, and was standing up straight , with its side facing the class; however, the statue's face was facing the class. The right arm of the statue was crossed over its chest, and it was giving a thumbs up with that hand. The statue was grinning widely and confidently, and it looked quite familiar to the JESTers.

"Yes, this is new, Thomas. This is a statue of my best friend-and former leader- Thomas Shay; your mother's twin brother."

"Wow…" Sam stared in wonder.

"Indeed. If you would look down." The class managed to tear their collective gaze away from the statue, and they looked at the base of the statue to see four sets of two machines.

"Oh!" Johnny raised his hand excitedly. "Can we demonstrate this one, Dad?!"

"Yes, you may."

"Yes! Let's go, guys!" Team JEST raced over to the machines, with the rest of the group following shortly after. "Okay, here's how this works."

"The machines are called 'Strength Evaluators'," Eric explained. "They serve to measure your upper body strength and your lower body strength." His attention was directed to a hand raised up high. "Yes, Weiss?"

"How does it work?" the heiress asked.

"Glad you asked." Eric looked towards Sam, who nodded and stepped forward.

"The Strength Evaluators measure your body strength in the form of a punch and a kick. The amount of force you exert actually accumulate to your final score." A hand shot up from the class. "Yes, Sun?"

"How's our score measured?"

"Allow me to answer that." Thomas stepped forward. "The machines measure your strength out of 10 each. As there are two types of the evaluator, the cumulative score is 20; you need a total of 10 to pass, but you need a total of 15 if you want to qualify for the tournament." A third hand stretched upwards. "Yeah, Cymon?"

"How hard should we hit?"

"Over here," Johnny directed everyone's attention to him. "With these, it's important to hold nothing back. And if you're worried about breaking them, don't be; these things are made from the same stuff as the Atlesian training bots."

When his teammates approached him, they turned to one-half of the machines and punched the cushioned center with all their might. A panel that was above the machines started displaying random numbers before finally stopping on four sets of 10. They did the same with the other half of the machines, but with a kick instead of a punch, and got similar results. "Hope you wrote the scores down, Dad, 'cause we just passed!" Eric stated with confidence.

"And qualified for the tournament," the other three siblings pointed out in unison.

"Don't worry, I did," Adrian reassured his kids. As they walked off, he continued, "Now, I'm going to call you all up by team name. You will be called at random, but your full team MUST be here, or else we're gonna have some problems.

"Now, first up is Team RWBY!" Ruby, Weiss, Blake and Yang all stepped up and hit the machines. He continued calling the teams up, writing down their results as they left.

 **(x)**

 ** _Team RWBY results_ _:_**

 _Ruby Rose:_ 5 (Upper), 10 (Lower)=15

 _Weiss Schnee:_ 7 (Upper), 8 (Lower)=15

 _Blake Belladonna:_ 8 (Upper), 9 (Lower)=17

 _Yang Xiao Long:_ 10 (Upper), 9 (Lower)=19

 ** _Team CIAN results:_**

 _Cymon Turner:_ 9 (Upper), 9 (Lower)=18

 _Iris Stone:_ 8 (Upper), 8 (Lower)=16

 _Aaron Ryder:_ 10 (Upper), 6 (Lower)=16

 _Nikolas Stone:_ 10 (Upper), 5 (Lower)=15

 ** _Team JNPR results:_**

 _Jaune Arc:_ 8 (Upper), 7 (Lower)=15

 _Nora Valkyrie:_ 10 (Upper), 8 (Lower)=18

 _Pyrrha Nikos:_ 10 (Upper), 10 (Lower)=20

 _Lie Ren:_ 9 (Upper), 9 (Lower)=18

 ** _Team CDRL results:_**

 _Cardin Winchester:_ 10 (Upper), 6 (Lower)=16

 _Dove Bronzewing:_ 8 (Upper), 7 (Lower)=15

 _Russel Thrush:_ 7 (Upper), 8 (Lower)=15

 _Sky Lark:_ 8 (Upper), 7 (Lower)=15

 ** _Team CFVY results:_**

 _Coco Adel:_ 10 (Upper), 9 (Lower)=19

 _Fox Alistair:_ 10 (Upper), 10 (Lower)=20

 _Velvet Scarlatina:_ 7 (Upper), 9 (Lower)=16

 _Yatushashi Taichi:_ 10 (Upper), 8 (Lower)=18

 ** _Team SSSN results:_**

 _Sun Wukong:_ 10 (Upper), 10 (Lower)=20

 _Safe Ayana:_ 10 (Upper), 8 (Lower)=18

 _Scarlet David:_ 9 (Upper), 10 (Lower)=19

 _Neptune Vasilias:_ 10 (Upper), 5 (Lower)=15

 ** _Adrian's Notes:_**

 _Everyone passed and qualified for the Vytal Festival tournament_

 _Ruby Rose―see Johnny for extra lessons_

 _Neptune Vasilias_ _―_ _see Sam for extra lessons_

 _Velvet Scarlatina_ _―_ _see Eric for extra lessons_

 _Nikolas Stone_ _―_ _see Thomas for extra lessons (and learn to laugh)_

' _I-ris, I-_ _reward joke' gets me every time (Thanks, Thomas)_

 **(x)**

"It's just so freaky," Mercury remarked to Emerald as the two observed the robot on the stand.

"What? That it looks just like Johnny Rogers?" Emerald remarked.

"Yeah. If it wasn't for the pink color where the red should be, he'd be a spitting image."

"Just because I _look_ shut off doesn't mean I _am_ , Blacky," the robot remarked as it opened its rose-pink eyes and got off its pedestal. Mercury took a step back in shock, and Emerald raised an eyebrow. "Now is there a reason why you two are just bothering me when I should be recharging?"

"Yeah," Emerald smirked as she crossed her arms. "We were feeling hungry and we wanted you to get us something to eat. Y'know, because you're a _robot_ and all."

"I don't listen to _you_ ," the robot spat. "I listen to _Cinder_. And my team listens to _me._ Got that?"

"Whatever. Have you finally chosen a name yet?"

"Why're you asking?"

"You're sassy today, aren't you?"

"The upgrades Cinder gave me-the improved voice box, the ability to use Aura, the redesign, the ability to feel- are working fine, thank you for asking."

"I'm asking because you've already chosen a color-why not a name?"

"Who says I haven't chosen it?"

"Then what is it?" Mercury asked as he reentered the conversation.

"..." M. Johnny said nothing as he thought. "I chose dogwood rose as my color," the robot mused, "because pink is underappreciated, and dogwood is an underappreciated plant. At least, it is in my artificial eyes. It fits me. And yes, I have chosen a name."

"Well?" Emerald asked.

"My name is… Damien. Damien Woodrose."

"Good choice," a new voice remarked. The two humans and the robot turned to see Cinder enter the room. "Shall we awaken your family, Damien?"

The newly-christened Damien smiled. "It sounds better when _you_ say it, my mistress."

"I'm glad you think so. Mercury ," Cinder called over her shoulder. "Wake them up."

"Alright," Mercury said as he walked over to the other three robots-two male and one female- and switched them on, one by one. The female robot looked like Sam, save for the fact her color was blue and that she had Eric's blood in her; one of the males looked like Eric, save for the fact that his color was rust-red, and that he had Sam's blood in him; and the last robot looked like Thomas, save for the fact his color was crimson.

Once all three robots were activated, they fell in line with Damien. The four of them kneeled in respect to Cinder. "How may we serve you?" The robots simultaneously asked.

"Rise," Cinder instructed. They did so, and they stared ahead as Cinder approached them and walked in front of them. "Damien Woodrose. Arachne Weaver. Rusty Raze. Chaos Raynefall. The four of you make up Team DARC (Dark). You are students from Shade Academy, and you will be participating in the Vytal Festival this year. But what is your prime directive?"

"To kill Team JEST: the biggest threat to her plans," Team DARC said in unison.

Cinder smiled. "Perfect. All we do now is train. And wait."

"Your wish is our command, mistress," Arachne spoke.

"Although we _may_ need some clothes other than these suits," Rusty remarked as he looked down at his skin-tight bodysuit.

"Who cares, as long as we have some fun?" Chaos said with a sadistic smile on his face. "So many bones to be broken; so many faces to be smashed."

"Keep it in your pants. Wait until the _actual_ tournament," Damien instructed.

"This will be...interesting," Cinder mused to Emerald and Mercury.

"I can't wait," Emerald smiled.

"For now, though, let's just reassume our cover."

"You got it," Mercury said as the three began walking out, and as Team DARC placed themselves on their respective pedestals to shut down until they were needed again.

 **(x)**

 **S/N: That took a while, didn't it? Anyway, I do have something planned for the next four chapters (not a four-parter, thank God). Also, I decided that I'm not going to do the Grimm Eclipse story right now, since it'll take too much time. If I do it, though, then it's going to be its own story.**

 **A/N: And as always, Read and Review!**

 **S/N: Now that everyone has qualified for the tournament,** _ **and**_ **passed Adrian's boot camp, all that's left is to count the days until the Vytal Festival.**

 **A/N: But something wicked this way comes, and it's going to give the JESTers one hell of a challenge. What will Cinder do with the aptly named Team DARC? Why are they being redesigned as humans?**

 **S/A: Find out in the next chapter of Team JEST!**


	17. Chapter 17: Beacon's Got Talent--Part 1

**Team JEST  
Chapter 17: Beacon's Got Talent I**

 **S/N: Sorry for the late updates, but at least we're updating, right?**

 **A/N: Disclaimer: We don't own RWBY.**

 **(x)**

It was your typical Saturday at Beacon Academy; the students that were in Adrian Rogers' class for the past three months were currently catching up on their classwork, everyone else was just relaxing, in their common rooms, talking with their friends―

"RUBY ROSE!"

―unless, of course, you're associated, in any way, with Team JEST, or you _are_ Team JEST.

"I CHALLENGE YOU TO KUNG FU NINJA SLAYER ULTIMATE DEATH BATTLE TWO!" Johnny shouted as he pointed a finger at Ruby. Currently, their two teams were in Team JEST's room; Blake was lying down on Eric's bed, reading despite the hubbub; Weiss was using Sam's nightstand to study despite the ruckus; and everyone else, save for Johnny and Ruby, was sitting on either Johnny's or Thomas' bed, except Eric (who was sitting on his bed with Blake).

"I ACCEPT!" Ruby shouted back, also pointing a finger at her fellow leader.

"This'll be fun to watch," Thomas whispered to Yang, who nodded in agreement.

"Can you guys keep it down? I'm trying to study," Weiss complained.

"Sorry," Johnny and Ruby sheepishly said.

"Sam, set us up. Thomas, give us the controllers," Johnny ordered.

"You got it," Sam said as she activated the scroll T.V. at the window (which is where it was in every room). Thomas said nothing as he handed Ruby and Johnny controllers.

"All right!" Johnny exclaimed, pumping his fist in the air. "Let's get this started!"

"Yeah!" Ruby exclaimed, following suit. As the game proceeded, everyone in the room, from Weiss to Blake, were watching and were getting oddly hyped up.

"100 Lien says Ruby wins," Thomas whispered to the ice queen.

"You're on," Weiss whispered back, shaking hands with her betting partner.

"JASPER WINS!"

"ALREADY?!" Thomas stared in shock and awe.

"YES!" Johnny and Weiss both cheered.

"And that is why they call me the…" Johnny took a _very_ deep breath, to the point where it strained him.

"That looks _painful_ ," Eric winced.

"KING! OF KUNG FU NINJA SLAYER ULTIMATE DEATH BATTLE 2!"

"No one has _ever_ called you that," Thomas remarked.

"Sorry! Can't hear you over my royalty!"

"Rematch clause!" Ruby shouted as she pointed a finger at Johnny.

"Like a good king, I will accept all challengers!"

…

"RED WINS!"

"YES!" Ruby, Thomas, and Yang all cheered.

"And the king has been dethroned!" Ruby declared with an anime crown on her head as she struck a pose.

"Pay up!" Thomas proudly stated to Weiss, who simply rolled her eyes and moved to take out her wallet…

"Rematch clause!" Johnny shouted as he pointed a finger at Ruby.

"Y'know what?" Thomas threw his hands up in exasperation. "Triple or nothing, Weiss."

"Looks like it," Weiss stated as she leaned back.

"Let me get in on that!" Eric called.

"Oh! Me, too!" Yang called.

"Alright guys, who's going to win? Ruby or Johnny?" Thomas asked.

"Neither," both simultaneously stated.

"Wow," Weiss said in a shocked tone.

"Damn," Thomas replied.

"We all know it's going to end that way," Eric shrugged.

"And besides, I've known you guys for long enough to know that the third match always ends in a tie," Yang reasoned.

"Attention all students!" The members of Teams JEST and RWBY perked their heads up as the headmaster's voice came through the PA. "Report to the ballroom immediately." The aforementioned members shrugged and went back to the game. "Teams JEST and RWBY, this means you." With a click, the PA shut off.

Everyone stared at each other in shock before both leaders jumped up and shouted, "CHEESE IT!"

At that command, the members of their respective teams jumped up and ran out of the room. They tore through the halls of Beacon, being lightweight thanks to Thomas, and, after a long and hefty run, skidded to a stop right in front of Professors Ozpin, Goodwitch, and Rogers. "Calling them out actually worked, Oz," Adrian remarked as he saw how fast his kids had arrived.

"Was there ever any doubt?" Ozpin smirked before drinking from his mug.

"Too...much...work," Thomas heaved before falling flat on his back. Ozpin simply tilted his mug over Thomas' open mouth and watched as Thomas got up. "That was surprisingly refreshing, Professor. Thank you."  
"You're welcome, Thomas. Although, I think calling you out worked _too_ well," Ozpin replied.

"I don't follow."  
"What are you wearing?"

Team JEST looked down at their clothing to see that they were wearing... _not_ their uniforms. "Fffffff-crap!" They corrected themselves as they realized who was in front of them.

"To the dorm rooms!" Johnny declared.

"AWAAAYY!" his siblings, sans Thomas, declared as they dashed back to their room.

"Not again," the eldest Rogers sibling said under his breath as he ran after his siblings.

 **(x)**

"Okay," Adrian said with a clap of his hands. "Now that all the students are here, we can proceed. Oz?"

"I'll leave the honors to _you_ , Adrian."

"Very well." Adrian stepped forward and took a breath. "Starting tomorrow, there will be auditions held for the Beacon Talent Show." Everyone immediately focused their attention to the speaking professor. "The show will be held in two weeks' time. If you're interested, then you can audition. And remember: You can perform by yourself or with other people; you don't necessarily have to perform with your team. If you think you can, then do it. That all,Oz?"

"I'll take it from here, Adrian," Goodwitch told the professor. After Adrian stepped back, Goodwitch took his place and began to speak. "If you are interested in participating in the talent show, then please do your best. The judges will be Professor and Doctor Rogers, Professor Ozpin, and myself. We all look forward to your performances."

"We wish all potential performers the best of luck. You are dismissed," Ozpin finished.

 **(x)**

"I think I might audition for the talent show," Ruby said as she and her team walked with Teams JNPR, JEST, and CIAN.

"Please," Weiss scoffed. "What'll _you_ do? Eat a cookie through your nose?"

"Hey!" Thomas interjected as he crossed his arms and stood defensively in front of Ruby. "I'll have you know that it takes a high level of skill to even stuff it in your nose, let alone go through without the cookie crumbling." Everyone shuddered at the probable pain of failing such an action.

"I don't think that can get you through the talent show," Sam said as she wrapped her arms around Cymon's right arm.

"I'm not gonna try out," Cymon said. "I'd have to be away from Sam otherwise." At hearing this, Sam smiled brightly at her boyfriend, who smiled back just as brightly.

"Well," Johnny stretched as he walked with Yang, "I dunno about you guys, but I'M signing up for the talent show."

"Don't bother. You won't even get third," Weiss smirked.

"Pretty confident. You ready to put your money where your mouth is, Ice Queen?" Johnny retorted.

"I dunno, Johnny," Eric mused. " _I'm_ signing up."

"So am I," Thomas added.

"I'm not signing up. Gotta give you guys a fighting chance," Sam smirked.

"Hey, speaking of money," Yang made her presence known again, "weren't you and Ruby supposed to finish your match?"

Johnny and Ruby froze in place, looking at each other. "TIMES THREE!" Johnny shouted, being engulfed in a large red flame before dashing off back to his room, Ruby dashing next to him with her Speed. They slid to a stop right in front of the room and ran back in to grab the controllers, before looking at the at the screen. Their jaws dropped in shock when they saw their chosen fighters idle in the background, and the words, "TIME'S UP!" in the foreground.

"Who won?!" Eric asked as he slid to a stop in front of the room. Seconds after, Yang, Weiss, and Thomas slid next to him. "YES!" the cat Faunus pumped a fist in the air with Yang when they saw the result. "You two owe us 300 Lien!" Eric triumphantly pointed to the stunned Ice Queen and eldest Rogers sibling.

"Each!" Yang added, hi-fiving Eric. Thomas groaned as he and Weiss took out their wallets and took out several bills, handing three to Yang and three to Eric.

"You two alright?" Thomas asked when he looked back to Ruby and Johnny. He sweatdropped when he saw two of the most important people to him hug each other for comfort as they shed tears over their uncompleted match.

 **(x)**

"Whatcha doin?" Yang asked Johnny as she walked up to him in his room. The Huntsman-in-training was sitting at his nightstand, brainstorming ideas for his performance.

"Just trying to figure out what exactly I'm gonna do for the talent show," Johnny explained before taking the sheet of paper he was writing on and throwing it behind him into the waste bucket. He sighed. "I've got nothing, Shotgun."

"Well, how about a song and dance performance?" Yang offered.

"You just want to see me dance, don't you?"

"It'd be a bonus if you could sing, too."

"Tempting, but too generic."

"Well, Thomas and Eric are performing, too, aren't they?"

"Yeah. So?"

"So, since you're a family, you could do a team performance!"

"That's not a bad idea, but we need a fourth person to make it a team."

"Can't help you there."

"Sweetie, you've already helped out enough with the idea. Thanks." Johnny got up and stretched before giving Yang a kiss.

"You're welcome," Yang said.

"I'll go tell Thomas and Eric. See ya later!" Johnny called as he ran out of the room.

 **(x)**

 **In the Library...**

"500 Lien, he manages to do it," Sam whispered to Jaune as they watched Thomas.

"Double or nothing, he fails," the leader whispered back. The two blondes, alongside Pyrrha, Nikolas, Iris, Ruby, Blake, Eric, and Cymon, were watching Thomas trying to eat a cookie through his nose.

"You guys are so childish," Blake rolled her eyes. "Triple or nothing it crumbles."

Thomas got the first quarter of the cookie in, and everyone was watching with excitement as he neared the halfway mark. Not long after he got the cookie in halfway…

Johnny ran in, and said, "There you are, you two!"

...the cookie crumbled.

 **Later…**

"You okay, man?" Johnny asked Thomas as he and Eric got out of the infirmary.

"Not really. Mom said that I'd be painfully sneezing out cookie crumbs for the next week," Thomas said before sneezing loudly. "She also said that I'd be sneezing a lot for the next week."

"Sorry, man."

"Fuck you. What do you want?"

Johnny explained the idea that Yang gave in, interrupted by the occasional sneeze from Thomas, and waited patiently as Eric and Thomas thought about it. "You guys in?"

"It sounds like a good idea," Eric started.

"But we'll *sneeze* need a fourth person, won't we *sneeze*?" Thomas finished.

"First things first, see if Mom can't do anything about that sneeze. I don't want you suffering outside of a fight with me," Johnny ordered.

"Gee, thanks," Thomas said sarcastically with an eye roll before heading back into his mom's office.

"About the fourth person," Johnny continued with Eric, "it's gotta be someone we can trust."

"Someone who won't be afraid to go on stage," Eric added on.

"Someone who'll pull through for us."

"But who'll we find that fits that?" The two looked around before seeing the perfect candidate walk by. "I found him," Eric whispered to Johnny.

"Let's talk him into it first," Johnny whispered back.

"You guys choose yet?" Thomas questioned as he walked out of the office, holding a small bottle of nasal spray.

"Yep," Eric replied.

"He's right there," Johnny continued while pointing at their (hopefully) fourth member.

"Let's do it," Thomas stated.

 **(x)**

 **S/N: Who is the final member for the performance team? Who will win first place at the Talent Show? Will Weiss have to put her money where her mouth is?**

 **A/N: Find out on the next chapter of Team JEST! And as always, Read and Review!**

 **S/N: Till next time!**


	18. Chapter 18: Beacon's Got Talent--Part 2

**Team JEST**

 **Chapter 18: Beacon's Got Talent II**

 **S/N: I'M ALIVE!**

 **A/N: SO AM I!**

 **Disclaimer: We don't own RWBY. Only Teams JEST and CIAN.**

 **(x)**

"Okay, Weiss," the heiress said to herself as the performer before her bowed and exited the stage. "It's just a talent show. You've sung plenty of times at Father's galas. Yeah. What do _you_ have to be worried about? Get up there and take the stage!" she softly proclaimed as the announcer...well, announced,

"Up next, Weiss Schnee."

 **(x)**

"This is actually pretty fun," Sun remarked as he and his team sat beside the members of Team RWBY (sans Weiss) and Team CIAN (sans Cymon). Cymon, Sam, and Team JNPR managed to get front row seats.

"Yeah!" Ruby cheerfully said. "Um, who's next?" the adorable huntress asked her older sister.

"Let's see…" Yang squinted to read the list that was handed out to everyone. "Oh! Weiss is up next!"

"REALLY?!" Ruby jumped up and cupped her hands over her mouth, shouting, "GO, WEISS!"

"Knock it off!" Nikolas said, pulling Ruby down to her seat. "People are staring."

"Up next, Weiss Schnee." Everyone turned their attention to the stage as the Huntress-in-training, clad in her usual attire, approached the center stage. She took a deep breath as the music started, and closed her eyes. The music had started out as a quiet melody played by the piano, and she began to sing as such.

" _Mirror, tell me something,_

 _Tell me who's the loneliest of all."_

The music suddenly picked up in tempo and volume, and strings and percussion had entered into the music.

" _Mirror, tell me something,_

 _Tell me who's the loneliest of all._

 _Mirror, what's inside me?_

 _Tell me, can a heart be turned to stone?"_

The music became quieter, as Weiss sang an aria. After a few moments, the song picked up again, playing in a crescendo.

" _Mirror, mirror, what's behind you?_

 _Save me from the things I see!_

 _I can keep it from the world,_

 _Why won't you let me hide from me?_

" _Mirror, mirror, tell me something._

 _Who's the loneliest of all?_

" _I'm the loneliest of all."_

Weiss opened her eyes and shifted her focus to the crowd as the music ended, generating applause and even a standing ovation.

"YAY WEISS!" Ruby cheered for her 'bestie'.

Weiss gave a curtsey before entering backstage, where she gave Johnny's team a smug grin. "Damn," Johnny whispered as Weiss walked away. "We're gonna have to go all out for this one."

"Feeling a little skittish?" Eric asked their team leader.

"Yeah," he replied.

"You can back out now, if you want," Thomas offered.

"I can't. I gave you guys my word."

"And for our final performance," Professor Port announced, "please welcome Performance Team JJET!"

"And an Arc never goes back on his word," Jaune finished before the team entered the stage.

 **(x)**

 **Key:**

 **JJET: Jaune, Johnny, Eric, and Thomas**

 **Ja: Jaune**

 **Jo: Johnny**

 **E: Eric**

 **T: Thomas**

The performance started with several small orbs appearing out of nowhere, as a tempo began playing. The sudden darkening of the room silenced all of the students and faculty, causing them to pay attention to the performance. The orbs began flying around the stage, and the tempo kept playing. One by one, the members of the Performance Team JJET, wearing matching uniforms (consisting of black dress shoes and pants, as well as unbuttoned black blazers over button-up shirts consisting of their respective colors (yellow, jasper, emerald, and teal), and black fedoras with the stripes matching their respective colors) appeared on stage, more small orbs following their arrivals. The team began singing as the orbs danced around them, as well as dancing appropriately to the beat and the lyrics.

 _Ja: "You would not believe your eyes,_

 _If 10 million fireflies,_

 _Lit up the world as I fell asleep."_

 _Jo: "'Cause they'd fill the open air,_

 _And leave teardrops everywhere,_

 _You'd think me rude,_

 _But I would just stand and stare."_

 _Ja: "I'd like to make myself believe"_

 _Jo: "That planet Earth turns..."_

 _JJET: "...Slowly"_

 _E: "It's hard to say that I'd rather stay awake when I'm asleep"_

 _T: "'Cause everything is never as it seems"_

As Team JJET spreads their arms, several more orbs appeared from their blazers, and said orbs began to fly out to the audience, much to their awe.

 _E: "'Cause I'd get a thousand hugs,_

 _From 10,000 lightning bugs,_

 _As they tried to teach me how to dance,"_

(Some of the orbs around the air on the stage formed a silhouette of Eric next to him, and both do a short dance)

 _T: "A foxtrot above my head,_

 _A sock hop beneath my bed,_

 _The disco ball is just hanging by a thread (JJE: thread, thread)"_

 _JJET: "I'd like to make myself believe,_

 _That planet Earth turns, slowly_

 _It's hard to say that I'd rather stay awake when I'm asleep,_

' _Cause everything is never as it seems (when I fall asleep)"_

 _Ja: "Leave my door open just a crack (JET: Please take me away from here)"_

 _Jo: "'Cause I feel like such an insomniac (JET: Please take me away from here)"_

 _E: "Why do I tire of counting sheep? (JJT: Please take me away from here)"_

 _T: "When I'm far too tired to fall asleep?"_

 _Ja: "To 10 million fireflies"_

 _Jo: "I'm weird 'cause I hate goodbyes"_

 _JJ: "I got misty eyes as they said farewell (ET: said farewell)"_

 _E: "But I'll know where several are"_

 _T: "If my dreams get real bizzare"_

 _ET: "'Cause I saved a few and I keep them in a jar (JJ: jar, jar)"_

The performing Huntsmen each brought out one jar of 'fireflies' each before kneeling near the front of the stage and handing the jars to their respective girlfriends, who were in the front row. The girls all took the jars and cheered for their boyfriends alongside everyone else in the audience.

 _JJET:"I'd like to make myself believe,_

 _That planet Earth turns, slowly_

 _It's hard to say that I'd rather stay awake when I'm asleep,_

' _Cause everything is never as it seems (when I fall asleep)" (2x)_

By this part, Performance Team JJET had lowered their voices to barely above a whisper, and yet everyone still heard them due to the microphones they were wearing on their ears.

 _Ja: "I'd like to make myself believe,"_

 _Jo: "That planet Earth turns, slowly,"_

 _E: "It's hard to say that I'd rather stay awake when I'm asleep,"_

 _T: "Because my dreams are bursting at the seams."  
_

The 'fireflies' diminish one by one according to the closing notes, and once the last 'firefly' disappears, the room is in complete darkness before the lights came back on, revealing that Performance Team JJET had gone backstage.

The audience roared in applause after the stellar performance, and the girls who were handed the jars held them tightly as they cheered.

After the applause died down (it took a while), Professor Ozpin walked up onstage, an envelope in his hand. "Students and faculty," the headmaster spoke. He patiently waited for all eyes to be on him. "The judges and I have decided on the winner of the Beacon Talent Show." Everyone in the audience was on the edge of their seats to hear the results; some were hoping that Weiss would win, while others hoped that Team JJET would win. Backstage, on opposite sides, Team JJET and Weiss were anticipating the results, as well as all the other performers. "The final two performances given certainly made it difficult to choose who our winner would be. So the judges and I have narrowed it down, and agreed that the winners are…"

"Wait, did he say winners?" Jaune whispered to his team.

"Weiss Schnee and Performance Team JJET!"

This revelation was met with a standing ovation louder than the one that Weiss and JJET received at the end of their respective performances. The five winners of the talent show stepped out together, Weiss in the middle and the front and Performance Team JJET slightly behind her. All five took their trophies and bowed as one.

 **(x)**

 **At the after-party…**

The students who participated in the talent show, as well as their friends and teammates, and the judges all gathered outside in the courtyard for an after-party. Jaune and Pyrrha, as well as Johnny and Yang and other couples, were having fun and dancing their hearts out.

"Congratulations on getting first place!" Sam jovially congratulated Weiss and her siblings that weren't dancing, with Ruby and Blake following suit.

"Thank you!" Weiss beamed at Sam, then turned to Thomas and Eric. "And I have to say, your performance put me at a loss for words. Good job, you two!"

"Thanks for the compliment, Weiss," Thomas smiled as he and Eric raised their soda cups to the heiress as a gesture of friendship. "But we all know…"

"It couldn't have been done without the group leader," Eric finished, draining the rest of his soda. "Plus, we genuinely thought we were gonna lose to you."

"My performance wasn't _that_ good," Weiss waved off Eric's compliment with a smile.

"No," a voice stated from behind the students. Thomas, Eric, Sam, Ruby, Weiss and Blake all turned to see Adrian and Lana walking up to them, one of Lana's arms linked with Adrian's. "It was spectacular," the Huntress finished with a smile.

"Thanks, Mrs. Rogers," Weiss said as she returned the smile.

"Tommy!" Ruby barged in and grabbed her boyfriend by the arm. "You HAVE to come see the view from the balcony! It's so BEAUTIFUL!"

"Alright, alright," Thomas said, lightly chuckling at his Rosebud's innocence and cuteness. The Hunter-in-training allowed himself to be dragged off, with the younger Huntress-in-training leading him to the balcony. Once they got to the balcony, Thomas looked down at the partying students. "You weren't kidding. The view _is_ beautiful."

"I know, right?" Ruby replied as she leaned over the balcony.

"But," Thomas wrapped an arm around Ruby's waist, "I know about a flower that's got even more beauty."

Ruby blushed furiously, but smiled at what Thomas said. "Aw, thanks Tommy."

"Anything for you, Rosebud." The two kissed, and enjoyed the view. After a while, Thomas said, "Go back down to the party, Ruby. I'll be down in a sec." Ruby nodded before she entered the building and went down to the party. Once Thomas saw her re-enter the party and begin talking to Weiss (much to the heiress' chagrin), the eldest Rogers child turned around. "There's no use hiding. I can sense your gravity field." No one stepped out. A couple seconds after he said that, the strange field he sensed disappeared. _That was strange. The field I sensed had a field...just like mine._ Thomas looked down over the balcony, lost in thought. He was brought out of his thinking by a tap on the shoulder. He turned around to see Eric standing behind him.

"Party's still going on. Why're you still up here?"

"Sorry. Let's go," Thomas replied as he walked back down with Eric.

 **(x)**

 **?'s Point of View…**

"Sorry. Let's go."

The words the blue-haired Huntsman-in-training had stated before rang through my ears, and my visage was graced with a smile.

" _There's no use hiding. I can sense your gravity field._ "

This means that his Semblance has grown to the point where he can sense anybody's presence-at a distance, of course. I was standing atop a tree in the Emerald Forest, but I was still able to trick him. Poor kid. He needs practice- _real_ training.

Otherwise, he can kiss his chances of survival against _her_ goodbye.

When the time comes, I'll put him through what _I_ went through. After that, kid'll be tough as nails. And a master of gravity to boot.

"Let's just hope he doesn't crack under pressure," I whispered to myself before jumping back into the forest.

 **(x)**

 **S/N: I'm alive, here's the chapter, please no hate reviews, just constructive criticism.**

 **A/N: Songs used were Fireflies by Owl City (Team JJET) and Mirror Mirror (Weiss' theme song and the song she sang here). And as always, Read and Review!**

 **S/N: Till next time!**


	19. Chapter 19: Suddenly18!

**Team JEST**

 **Chapter 19: Suddenly...18!**

 **S/N: We actually turned 17, but Team JEST turns 18 today!**

 **A/N: *pops party horn(s)***

 **Disclaimer: We don't own RWBY.**

 **(x)**

 **July 23, 20XX (S/N: No, that's not a Melee pun)**

"You wanted to see us, Mr. and Mrs. Rogers?" Ruby asked as she and her team walked into Lana's office.

"Yes," Lana replied as she leaned over her desk. "We called you here because we wanted to tell you that Team JEST's birthdays are coming up."

"Tomorrow, in fact," Adrian said from his wife's side.

"It's Team JEST's birthdays tomorrow?" Jaune asked as his team and Teams CIAN and CFVY entered the office.

"Ah, Jaune, glad you and your team could make it," Adrian smiled. "Yours too, Cymon and Coco."

"I get them," Coco started, "but why's MY team here?"

"I like to think that you and Johnny hit it off during your training, and Velvet seems to like two of our children. It'd be a crime _not_ to invite you guys to this meeting."

"Whatever you say."

"Excuse me?"

"Whatever you say, _sir_."

"Better. Now, we managed to get everyone in Beacon in on the celebration, but we need to keep them distracted."

"That's where we come in, right?" Weiss asked, referring to her team.

"Not quite," the Huntsman said. "You and Coco are some of the students with the best sense when it comes to design. We're gonna need you to stay behind to help us decorate the ballroom."

"To distract Sam, Cymon will take your place," Lana continued.

"Sounds like a plan," Sam's boyfriend said with a thumbs up and a confident smile. "When do we start?"

"Well, we're going to have to decorate the ballroom as early as possible," Adrian said while in thought. "So start the day by serving our kids some breakfast-in-bed, then take 'em out for a day in the city. Be back by 8:00 at the latest," he continued, speaking to Ruby, Blake, Yang, and Cymon.

"I'll give you kids the recipe for my vegetable omelettes," Lana added in. "Serve them that."

"Teams CFVY and JNPR, I wager that this is your first time hearing about this?" The aforementioned teams nodded collectively. "Then you kids will go out and buy some last-minute gifts. Just make sure my kids don't spot you, okay?"

"Yes, sir," the teams said in unison.

 **(x)**

 **The Next Day, in Team JEST's room…**

Team JEST all woke up, yawning and stretching, to the sound of their room door opening and the delicious smell of vegetable omelettes wafting into their noses.

"GOOOODDDD MORNING, TEAM JEST!" The leader of Team RWBY jovially said as she walked through the door, alongside Blake, Yang, and...Cymon?

"Happy birthday," the other three said in a manner more calmly than the young girl.

"Morning, sweetie," Thomas said, rubbing his eyes and smiling at his girlfriend as she walked up to his bed, veggie omelette on a tray in her dainty hands.

"Get ready," Yang started as Johnny started on his omelette, "because we have a whole day of adventure and fun ahead of us!"

"Can't wait," Johnny said, his mouth full of vegetable heaven.

"All of us, or…?" Eric asked uncertainly.

"No," Blake said with a smile. "We're all going with our other halves."

"Why are you here, baby?" Sam wondered as she drank the coffee that came with her breakfast.

"Why wouldn't I spend the day with my amazing girlfriend?" Cymon asked rhetorically as he kissed her on the cheek, leaving Sam with a bright smile.

"So," Ruby said aloud while clapping her hands together to get everyone's attention. "Is everyone done?" As Team JEST collectively approved, the young leader smiled widely. "Great! NOW LET'S GO!" she shouted as she pulled Thomas out of his bed, the now empty tray falling to the floor.

"Wait, Rosebud!" Thomas shouted, struggling against his girlfriend's grip. "We still need to shower!"

 **(x)**

What's the plan?" Cymon asked quietly as he, Yang, Blake and Ruby got into the airship after their significant others.

"I'm taking Eric to the new bookstore that opened up," Blake whispered.

"Johnny and I are going to the arcade," Yang stated her plan in the same manner.

"And I'm taking Tommy to the movies," Ruby said.

"That's not gonna last long, y'know,"Cymon whispered.

"Oh. I guess I'll take it from there, then."

"Alright. Let's do this!"

 **(x)**

"This is that new bookstore that opened up, right?" Eric asked as he and Blake stood outside the new store.

"Yeah," Blake responded. "Has Johnny been here, yet?"

"Nope. He thinks he'd betray what he and Tukson had if he came here."

"He's still hooked up on that?"

"Yep. I've been trying to get him to come here, but no luck."

"Let's go see what this shop has."

"Please." With that, the two Faunus entered the shop. Eric looked around. "Is it weird that the layout of this shop looks exactly like Tukson's?"

"Kinda," Blake replied. "Oh!" Blake picked up a couple books from one of the shelves. "They have this series here?!"

"Among others, lass," a voice said from the counter. Eric and Blake looked to the source of the voice: a middle-aged man with red hair and and a red beard. "Name's Barry," the man said in an Irish accent. "That's a good series you've picked up there, lass. And what might you be interested in, lad?"

"You sell mangas here?" Eric asked as he browsed through the shop. "If you do, I might be able to get you another customer."

"Indeed we do, m'boy."

"Great! I'll convince my brother to come here sometime. Whaddya recommend?"

"Everything up here at the counter is my personal recommendation, lad. Take a looksee."

"I will." Eric looked around the area the shopkeeper recommended, and whistled. "These books look interesting."

"Do you want any copies, lad?"

"Sure. I'll get a copy of each book."

"That'll be 750 Lien."

"Here." Eric paid and took the bag holding his books. He looked toward Blake as she walked up with a small stack of books. "I'm also paying for her."

"No, you're not," Blake stated as she put the books on the counter.

"But Bella-"

"Save it." Blake looked toward the shopkeeper as he told her the price. "100 Lien? That's not too bad," she stated as she paid for her books.

"I could've paid for you," Eric said as the Faunus couple walked out.

"It's okay. Besides, after what I planned for your birthday, you might need as much money as you can hold."

"What's that mean?" Eric's only response was a mysterious smile from Blake as she walked ahead.

 **(x)**

"So what are we doing here, Rosebud?" Thomas asked as he and Ruby stood outside the movie theater.

"To watch a movie. Duh," the Huntress-in-training said as she walked up to the ticket counter.

"Don't get smart with me," Thomas said jokingly. "So who's picking?"

"You?" Ruby asked as she turned to him. "It's _your_ birthday, after all."

"Eh, I picked last time. You choose."

"Oh really?" Ruby looked at the poster closest to her, and smiled.

"Ah, dammit."

 **After the movie…**

"MY EYES!" Ruby screeched as she staggered out of the building while pressing her palms against her eyes, drawing nearly everyone's attention to her.

"What did I tell you?" Thomas stated knowingly as he walked out after her. " _Ninjas of Love_ is a dirty book, so they'd make a dirty movie too."

"WHY DIDN'T YOU STOP ME?!"

"For this very reason," Thomas chuckled quietly. "I dunno. You really wanted to see it, so we saw it," he said aloud. "You know…" Thomas started, a finger on his cheek as he looked up in thought with a mischievous smile.

"What?" Ruby asked as she calmed down, removing her hands from her eyes to look curiously at her boyfriend.

"They're working on a sequel right now. Maybe we could-~?"

"NO! NOT AGAIN!" Ruby held her head in pain at the thought of seeing another movie like _Ninjas of Love_ , collapsing on her back immediately afterwards.

"Nothing to see here, folks," Thomas waved off the concerned onlookers as he dragged Ruby away via her cape, laughing nervously.

Maybe he took the joke a little too far.

 **(x)**

"Aaaaand that makes the new high score," Johnny said as he put away his guns at the shooting game of the arcade.

"You should be banned," Yang said once she saw what Johnny shot through.

"I don't care. No one's gonna beat that high score." He took his tickets once they finished coming out the machine. "C'mon," Johnny nodded towards the counter, "I'll buy you a prize."

"You don't have to. Besides," Yang reasoned as she walked up to the counter, "it's _your_ birthday. I'll use my tickets to buy you a prize."

"What tickets?" Yang opened her jacket, and Johnny saw tons of tickets fall out. "Oh. Those tickets."

Yang smiled smugly as she picked up her tickets and walked up to the counter. "Whaddya want, Johnny?"

"I can't decide."

"One of everything, then," Yang told the guy at the counter.

"Whatever you say, little lady," the man said in a bored tone as he began taking down one of every prize that was on display behind him. "That'll be-" Yang slammed all of her tickets on the counter. "That'll do."

Johnny stared in awe at his girlfriend. "I found another reason to love you."

"Implying that you didn't love me before?" Yang asked rhetorically as she handed Johnny the bags containing his gifts.

"I said another reason." Johnny checked the time on his scroll. "Yeesh, it's nearing 7:30."

"Did you say 7:30?!"

"Y-Yeah," Johnny said taken aback by Yang's sudden change in tone.

"We need to go!" Yang said as she grabbed Johnny's hand and raced out of the arcade with him.

"Wait, my prizes!"

 **(x)**

 **Earlier…**

"This one?" Sam asked as she held up a dress. "Or this one?" She held up the other one in her hand.

"Wear the white one," Cymon concluded. "I think you'd look better in that."

"I'll go to the changing room and see." Sam walked into the changing room with both dresses, and walked out a couple minutes later in the white dress.

Cymon whistled in awe at her beauty. "Damn, Sam. I knew that'd look good on you."

"Since when do you have a fashion sense?"

"Since I grew up with an older sister who wanted a younger sister. And since Weiss took me shopping for my prom suit."

"You have an older sister?"

"She's not very supportive of my dream to become a Hunter. She doesn't want me to get hurt.

"I see. I think it's because she's worried for you."

"Yeah, I guess. But enough about me!" Cymon stated as he wrapped his arms around Sam. "This is _your_ special day. Let's not make it about anyone else."

Sam giggled and leaned into him. "Okay," she said, looking up at him and smiling.

"You have any more clothes you wanna try?" Cymon immediately covered his mouth in terror as those words escaped his lips.

"You _really_ shouldn't say that to a lady," Sam whispered into Cymon's ear, pulling back and smiling happily.

 **Later…**

After _much_ shopping, Cymon helped Sam pick out some clothes for everyday life, some for special occasions, some…"clothes" for nightly activities, the two lovebirds walked out of the mall, Sam's spoils of shopping in her boyfriend's hands. The manager called out to Cymon as he walked past, "Treat her right, got that?"

"Got it," the Huntsman-in-training said in his usual confident tone. "You know that guy?" he whispered to Sam.

"Us Rogers have a habit of becoming best friends with store owners."

"Wait, then who's Thomas's store-owner friend?"

"Kuki Sanban."

"The daughter of the cookie-store owners?"

"Is there another married couple who owns a cookie store?"

"You'd be surprised." After some time walking in silence, Cymon asked, "Hey, what time is it?"

"It's…" Sam's eyes widened in shock as she looked at her scroll. "7:30. We have to go!" Sam shouted as she ran ahead, pulling Cymon with her.

"WAIT, YOUR CLOTHES ARE ABOUT TO SPILL!"

 **(x)**

"Question," Eric asked as he and the others walked towards the ballroom. "Why the hell are we headed to the ballroom?"

"Better question," Thomas asked. "What the hell are you holding?"

Eric held up the various bags of things that Blake made him buy. "As much as I love her, Blake can be a handful."

"You know she heard that right?"

"You're a handful, Blake."

"Thanks," Blake responded with a sarcastic eye roll.

"Guys! Shut up! We're here!" Ruby said excitedly.

"Waaait," Thomas interrupted. "This whole day isn't gonna turn out to have been some elaborate ruse so that everyone here could set up a surprise party for us, is it?"

"Um… no?"

Thomas stared intensely at Ruby for a second, terrifying the young girl. "If you say so!" Thomas said with a sudden jovial tone.

"Phew," Ruby breathed a sigh of relief.

"Why aren't we inside yet?"

Team JEST pushed open the doors to the ballroom…

"SURPRISE!"

Thomas looked over at Ruby and said, in a deep and joking tone, "You lied to me." Ruby smiled innocently.

"What's all this, you guys?!" Johnny walked forward and looked around with a smile on his face.

"It's a party!" Yang stated as she and her "comrades" walked past the dumbfounded team.

"I can see _that_ ," Johnny said with an eyeroll.

"But for us?" Eric said incredulously.

"You didn't have to!" Sam gushed once she got over her surprise.

"Where's the cake?" Thomas asked immediately.

"You mean cakes?" Lana responded to Thomas' question.

"The presents?"

"All over there, sweetie," Lana nodded towards the stage, where there were practically four mounds of presents, each labeled appropriately with a J, E, S, or T.

"Why're we still waiting for permission?"

"Don't go too crazy. You kids are still my babies."

"Yeah, Mom," Team JEST stated with an eyeroll that was carried eerily at the same time.

"Let's get this party started!" Johnny shouted with a fist pump, which was met by fist pumps and cheers from the students that were attending the party.

 **(x)**

 **S/N: Sorry for being dead, high school was a bitch. But, on the bright side, we're 17 now, and we're seniors now!**

 **A/N: And just so you know, we're getting Solar's story done first because we're closer to finishing it before mine.**

 **S/N: Volume 3 is gonna be it's own story, so get ready for that!**

 **A/N: And as always, Read and Review!**

 **S/N: Till next time!**


	20. Chapter 20: Help is on the Way

**Team JEST**

 **Chapter 20: Help is on the Way**

 **S/N: Sorry for the incredibly late update! It's just that it's been very hard to work on our stories-this for me and The Tri-Blade Alliance for Arctic (go check it out)-since we're seniors in high school now, and especially since we have to work on our college applications and apply for scholarships.**

 **A/N: What he said.**

 **Disclaimer: We don't own RWBY. Johnny and Eric go to Solar, while Thomas and Samantha go to Arctic. Team CIAN was a team effort.**

 **(x)**

"TIMES 5!"

Everyone was blown back slightly by the force of Johnny's Evolution. "H-Holy shit!" Thomas whispered to himself as he saw the red aura that shone brighter than usual.

"All right!" Johnny smirked confidently as his aura flared even brighter. "Looks like all my training paid off!" He looked around at the horde of Grimm that surrounded himself, his team, Team RWBY, and Team JNPR. He grit his teeth as he growled in annoyance. "There's still too many. Sam!"

"Yes?!" Sam responded as she got ready to fight the Grimm.

"Call Cymon! Mom and Dad too!"

"You sure?!"

"That's an order!"

"Yes sir!" Sam took out her Scroll and began dialing a number.

"Everyone else!" Johnny drew his swords and activated his new hover boots, ready to dash, slice, and kill. "Start fighting!"

 **Earlier that week...**

"Well, that was long," Johnny said as he stretched, walking with his team/siblings back to Beacon.

"And interesting," Sam said cheerfully.

"You mean really, really boring?" Eric asked tiredly, trying-and failing-to stifle a yawn.

"Hey, Coco," Thomas said, nodding at his approaching friend.

"If it isn't the Rogers family," the student-in-question smiled and stopped in front of the siblings, hands on her hips. "You just came back from a mission?" When the siblings all nodded, Coco remarked, "You look tired. What was your mission?"

"Farming," they all answered.

"What?" Coco blinked twice in confusion.

"It's not what you think," Johnny said as clarification.

"We just had to kill Grimm to get enough of a certain item," Sam explained.

"And that item is...?" Coco trailed off.

"Y'know the weird black puddle of darkness that Grimm dissolve into upon death?" Eric said. "Well, we needed to get that to help a scientist advance his research."

"About 10 chemical vats' worth," Thomas stated.

"...So I was gonna offer you guys a day out on the town," Coco started, a hand resting on her hip, "but I think that can wait till tomorrow."

"Sounds like a plan," Johnny smiled, then yawned tiredly. "But right now, we are tired and we are hungry, so we're gonna hit the cafeteria then hit the hay. Do us a solid and copy the notes for me," the leader finished as he and his team/family walked away.

"Rogers!" The entire team turned back to a smirking Coco. "It's Saturday."

"Of course it is." Johnny tried to ignore his cheeks heating up. "Never mind, then," he said above the laughter of his siblings.

 **(x)**

 **The Next Day...**

"That was fun!" Sam exclaimed happily as she walked back into the Academy with a bunch of bags in her arms. "I never knew you were so close to the owner of that fashion store, Coco."

"That's my favorite clothing store and I've been there too many times to count," Coco said with a casual shrug. "You go to a certain store enough times and you'll eventually be recognized."

"I know that feeling," Johnny responded a little sadly.

"Tukson's Book Trade, right?" Coco asked.

"Mhmm."

"Nng!" Thomas groaned suddenly as he pressed his fingers to his temples, collapsing to his knees.

"Hey, Thomas," Eric looked towards his brother, "you okay?"

"Y-Yeah," he replied. "Just felt like something was..." He slowly stood up as he spoke, his eyes widening as he failed to finish his sentence.

"Something's what?" Johnny asked.

"MOVE!" As he said that, a train crashed through the barrier leading to Vale, headed right towards the square. By reflex, the group of friends rolled to the sides away from the train's path. The train crashed in the square and everyone began running away and screaming.

"WHAT THE HELL?!" Eric yelled as he got back up to his feet and stared in shock and horror at the wreckage.

"It's not over yet!" Johnny turned to where the train came from and grit his teeth as he saw hordes of Grimm coming through. "Looks like we're gonna have to fight!"

"I just wanted to go shopping!" Sam said with an exasperated tone as she slumped over slightly.

"Defend now, whine later!" Thomas instructed as he drew his guns and got ready to fight.

"Don't leave us out!" Johnny looked back over his shoulder and saw four figures jump out of the train wreckage. To their (pleasant) surprise, those figures turned out to be Team RWBY. Blake was panting lightly as she readied her weapon to fight. "At least let us help you clean up our mess!"

"Smart," Johnny replied before turning back to the monsters.

"Oh boy, that's a lot of monsters," Ruby said with a worried tone as she tightened her grip on her scythe.

"The way I see it, this is a good time to see if my training is gonna come through for me."

"Training?" Ruby and everyone else took a brief second to send a questioning look at Johnny.

In response, Johnny lowered his hands to his side and took a deep breath...before raising his fists up and shouting "TIMES 5!" When that happened, Johnny's aura became a shinier, brighter red than normal, with the power of the Evolution being shown through the intensity of the body flame.

Everyone was blown back slightly by the force of Johnny's Evolution. "H-Holy shit!" Thomas whispered to himself as he saw the red aura that shone brighter than usual.

"All right!" Johnny smirked confidently as his aura flared even brighter. "Looks like all my training paid off!" He looked around at the horde of Grimm that surrounded himself, his team, Team RWBY, and Team JNPR. He grit his teeth as he growled in annoyance. "There's still too many. Sam!"

"Yes?!" Sam responded as she got ready to fight the Grimm.

"Call Cymon! Mom and Dad too!"

"You sure?!"

"That's an order!"

"Yes sir!" Sam took out her Scroll and began dialing a number.

"Everyone else!" Johnny drew his swords and activated his new hover boots, ready to dash, slice, and kill. "Start fighting!"

With that order, the group dispersed, save for Sam. Everyone dashed into a different area filled with Grimm, and began using their tools and techniques at their disposals. "Come on, come on, pick up!" Sam muttered as her phone kept giving her dial tone. Finally, when she heard a groggy greeting from the line, she responded with, "There's a situation at the town square in Vale! Lots of Grimm! We need help!" After that, she hung up and rushed into battle with her friends.

In his area, Johnny began putting his training to good use and started using his newly enhanced speed to cut through the waves of Grimm that came at him. He ducked, dodged, sliced, and slashed his way through. From a nearby rooftop, Emerald, Mercury, and Cinder were all watching Johnny, with Mercury holding a camera and filming the leader in action. "You sure this'll help Damien learn?" Mercury questioned.

"He can't learn Johnny's skills without seeing him in action," Cinder answered, her eyes staying locked on Johnny as he barreled through the endless hordes of Grimm. "Assuming that Damien will be able to use Johnny's Semblance, seeing him go times five will certainly help Damien learn what Johnny can do...and how he can counter him at the Vytal Festival Tournament."

"RRAGH!" Johnny roared as he tore through what seemed to be the last of the Grimm in his area...before he looked up to see tons more jumping in. "Why am I not surprised?" Johnny said as he shook his head to get back into the game and got ready to fight again. As he got ready, two Beowolfs lunged at him...only to be destroyed by two explosive projectiles. "Huh?!" Johnny braced himself for more potential threats until Emerald and Mercury landed next to him, ready to fight. "You two?! What're you guys doing here?"

"A little thank you for helping would be appreciated," Emerald said as she rolled her eyes.

"Don't get me wrong, I _am_ thankful. But―"

"Here they come!" Mercury interrupted the two with a warning. Johnny and Emerald looked back at the Grimm wave, and the three stood back to back to back.

"Guess this is a chance for me to see if you guys are good fighters or not," Johnny said half-jokingly.

"Guess it is," Mercury said as he shot a knowing smirk to Emerald, who gave one back. With that, the three rushed the Grimm waves and began hacking, slashing, kicking, and shooting.

 **Meanwhile...**

"Aaaaaand...done!" Thomas said as he pulled a crackshot on a downed Ursa Major, killing it.

"Same over here!" Yang called out as she punched through the last Beowolf in her area. She let out a breath of relief and slight exhaustion...until she heard several roars coming from behind her. "Scratch that."

Thomas looked up and saw a black cloud-like mass racing towards his direction. He and Yang exchanged looks and smirked. While Yang readied her explosive rounds, Thomas cracked his neck and activated his Semblance, grabbing Yang's outstretched arm and throwing her up to take on the black mass. After he saw her enter the cloud, Thomas turned and shot a Ice Dust bullet through the heads of several Beowolves, getting ready to take on the new group of Grimm.

 **(x)**

"Oh man," Sam said nervously, standing back-to-back with Weiss and Ruby against a group of Ursai. "This isn't looking good for us, is it?"

"Don't forget about us!" Everyone looked up when they heard that-and felt immediate relief when they saw Teams JNPR, CIAN, the rest of Team CFVY, Adrian and Lana. Cymon was the first to join, activating his weapon-an energy blade with two blades, one red and one blue, erupting from the forearm and underarm of the bracer on his right arm-and plowed through the Grimm, impaling one Grimm after another. The rest of his team, and Team JNPR followed suit, with Aaron crashing down into the middle of the group.

"Make way!" he shouted as he dashed at the girls. Immediately, they all got out of his way, and watched in amazement as Aaron plowed through an Ursa Major when it tried to hit him. When a Death Stalker tried to hit him with its tail, resulting in the tip breaking off, Aaron grabbed its tail and spun it around, catching all of the Grimm that rushed at him. Eventually, he released the Grimm, catching a Giant Nevermore and sending them all crashing to the floor, where they turned into black puddles.

"Oh my," Sam said in shock.

"Sorry," Aaron smirked arrogantly when he heard Sam. "I'm taken."

"Shut up," Sam laughed as she, Weiss and Ruby joined Aaron.

 **(x)**

"The cavalry's here!" Fox shouted, landing next to Johnny.

"Perfect timing!" Johnny responded as he gave a fist bump to his friend. "Things were getting out of hand!" The two got ready to fight together, standing back to back.

"Where'd your partners go?" Fox asked as he looked over his shoulder at his red-fire encased ally.

After hearing a roar of pain, they briefly turned their gazes to the Grimm that Emerald had just taken down as Emerald landed next to Mercury. "They're over there," Johnny gave a nod over to Emerald.

"Not bad," Fox commented. He turned back to his fight as he heard an Ursa roar. "Ready to go?"

"Just try to keep up," Johnny jokingly challenged before dashing at the Grimm hoard with Fox as the two let out battle cries.

Johnny ducked underneath an Ursa's swipe and slashed it twice in the stomach before using his enhanced strength to kick it away from him and into a hoard of Beowolves, while Fox punched a Beowolf and slashed another away. The two continued fighting the Grimm hoard before a roar was heard and a spiked Ursa barreled its way towards to the two. Johnny stepped in front of Fox and punched the Ursa, making it stop in its tracks. Fox then stepped in front of Johnny and unleashed a combo of punches and slashes that caused the Ursa to blow up and send its spikes everywhere, killing other Grimm nearby.

Coco casually walked up to the two while this happened. She gave Fox's butt a light pat. "Nice hustle, Fox. Good job. You too, Rogers," Coco nodded in approval at the two.

"Don't slap my butt," Johnny said in reply.

Coco laughed that off as she walked up to a Beowolf and faced it. " _You_ just destroyed my favorite clothing store." She spit to the side. "Prepare to die." She effortlessly swapped its hand away and kicked it where the sun don't shine. As it fell to the ground and looked at her, she slammed her bag on its neck, killing it. After that, she began effortlessly swatting away more Beowolves, while everyone else resumed fighting. When Velvet began to open her box, Coco stopped her, saying, "You spent all semester building that up. Don't waste it here." Velvet nodded in understanding.

"What the fuck do you keep in there?" Johnny asked in amazement as he stared at Coco's bag. In response, Coco tranformed her purse into a minigun and began mowing down the horde of Grimm in front of them, which included a Death Stalker and three Nevermores. "Forget I asked." Coco grinned at Johnny in a way that made him cross his legs to protect his family jewels.

 **(x)**

 **Afterwards...**

"Oh, I can't believe that you caught me, you really taught me the error of my ways," Roman Torchwick said as Emerald and Mercury escorted him to an Atlesian ship. They promptly handed him off to an Atlesian soldier. "H-hey, watch the hat!"

Emerald and Ruby smiled as they passed by each other. Team JEST whooped and hi-fived each other, Team JNPR exchanged smiles, Adrian and Lana had their arms wrapped around each other as they approached their children, Teams CFVY and CIAN shared smiles with their teammates, and spirits were high.

 **(x)**

"Well guys," Johnny said as he, his team, Team RWBY and Team CIAN sat on the edge of Beacon's landing platform, watching the City of Vale. "We won."

"Yup," Sam said.

"If we don't get extra credit for this, I'm gonna be seriously disappointed," Weiss said.

"Try flipping a table if that doesn't happen," Nikolas said.

"Only if you want detention," Eric scoffed.

"Can we please take a moment of silence for the now-destroyed bakery?" Thomas asked as he gazed at the city with slight sadness. Everyone nodded as they closed their eyes, honoring the bakery with a moment of silence. "Okay, I'm done."

"We still haven't solved everything," Ruby said from Thomas' side. "A lot of people were hurt, and we still don't even know why they did it, or who that mystery girl was from the dance."

"Not every story has a happily-ever-after," Aaron said.

"We might not have all the answers," Blake said, "but we do have a lot of dangerous people behind bars. And I think that's something we could be proud of."

"True," Iris said, joining Yang in lying down on her back. "Great teamwork, everybody, all that good stuff. What now?"

"I don't feel like training," Johnny said.

"We're already set for the tournament," Cymon affirmed.

"So then..." Blake started.

"Uhh...Time for bed?" Ruby suggested. Everyone gave noises of confirmation.

"I'm not waking till I get at least ten bedsores," Eric claimed as they got up and started walking to Beacon's main campus.

"Those are rookie numbers!" Thomas and Johnny proclaimed.

"Please sleep normally," Sam said as she joined their side.

 **(x)**

 **S/N: Finally, Volume 2 is over with! If you have stuck with me from Chapter 1, I am so sorry for boring you all this time with my shitty writing. Nonetheless, there** _ **is**_ **a reason for this: I wanted to get to Volume 3 ASAP, since the majority of what I have planned is meant for Volume 3. I haven't been able to work on this fic that much because...well, just read Chapter 1 of Team JADE and you'll see there, I can't be bothered to repeat myself. So after this is gonna be an intermission crossover (which takes place between Volumes 2 & 3), and I hope you guys will like that, **_**especially**_ **since it features a character that may have you pleasantly surprised, if you read/are reading Arctic01's story.**

 **A/N: Be on the lookout for Chapter 30 of The Tri-Blade Alliance. Now that we're done with Volume 2 of Team JEST, we'll finish up the Aincrad Arc. After that, we're gonna work out a schedule for what days we can work on what, most likely after we're done with the intermission. Without further ado, time for the outro. *clears throat***

 **And as always, Read & Review!  
S/N: Till next time!**


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